The 1999 New York Jets season was the 40th season for the team, the 30th in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) and the third year and final year under

Bill Parcells Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells (born August 22, 1941) is an American former football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons. He rose to prominence as the head coach of the New York Giants from 1983 ...

and was also the last season that the Jets were under the ownership of the Hess family. Owner

Leon Hess Leon Hess (March 14, 1914 – May 7, 1999) was an American businessman, the founder of the Hess Corporation and the owner of the New York Jets. Hess built an oil terminal in New Jersey after the Great Depression, building his first refinery i ...

died before the season began and, per his directive, the team was to be sold after his death. The process for vetting potential buyers proceeded during the entire season and shortly after it concluded, the winning buyer was revealed as

Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational corporation founded in 1886 that develops medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumer packaged goods. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company i ...

heir

Woody Johnson Robert Wood Johnson IV (born April 12, 1947) is an American businessman who was United States ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2017 to 2021. He is a great-grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I, and a billionaire heir to the Johnson & Johnson pha ...

. The Jets failed to improve upon their 12–4 record from 1998, when the Jets won the

AFC East The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). There are currently four teams that reside in the d ...

and ended the season with a loss in the AFC Championship Game and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1997. The team dealt with several devastating injuries to starters. Starting quarterback

Vinny Testaverde Vincent Frank Testaverde Sr. (; born November 13, 1963) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons. He played college football at Miami, where he was an All-American and won the Hei ...

suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the season opener against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

, costing him the entire season. Starting running back Leon Johnson tore two knee ligaments in the same game and was also lost for the season. Due to Testaverde’s injury, the Jets were forced to use three different quarterbacks during the season. Parcells used punter

Tom Tupa Thomas Joseph Tupa Jr. (born February 6, 1966) is a former American football punter and quarterback in the National Football League. Personal life and high school career As a child, Tupa participated in the NFL's Punt, Pass, and Kick contest, ...

, who had begun his career as a quarterback, to replace Testaverde in the opening game against the Patriots but pulled him in favor of

Rick Mirer Richard Franklin Mirer (born March 19, 1970) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He played college football at Notre Dame and was selected second overall by the Seattle Sea ...

. Parcells acquired Mirer in a trade with the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

during the offseason and made room for Mirer by trading

Glenn Foley Glenn Foley (born October 10, 1970) is a former American football quarterback. He played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) with the New York Jets from 1994 to 1998 and the Seattle Seahawks in 1999 and in the Arena Football Lea ...

to the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

. After a 2–6 start to the season, Parcells went in another direction and replaced Mirer with third-stringer

Ray Lucas Ray Lucas (born August 6, 1972) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. He played for three teams, the New England Patriots, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins during his seven-year career from 1996 to 2002. He is c ...

, who won six of his eight starts to bring the team to an 8–8 finish. Parcells announced his retirement shortly after the 1999 season concluded and announced that defensive coordinator

Bill Belichick William Stephen Belichick (; born April 16, 1952) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Additionally, he exercises extensive authority over the Patri ...

, who had been his designated successor, would take over. However, Belichick decided shortly after taking the position that he no longer wanted it and instead chose to become the head coach of the Patriots. Thus, Parcells promoted linebackers coach

Al Groh Albert Michael Groh II (born July 13, 1944) is an American football analyst and former player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Wake Forest University from 1981 to 1986 and at the University of Virginia from 2001 to 2009, compil ...

to replace him while he stayed on for an additional year in the front office.

Offseason

NFL draft

Roster

Schedule

Standings

References

External links

1999 team stats
{{1999 NFL season by team New York Jets seasons

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

New York Jets season 20th century in East Rutherford, New Jersey Meadowlands Sports Complex