All-Quarter Century Team: See which Jets and Giants made the cut

New York football hasn’t lived up to expectations of late, and the immediate future might not be much brighter, but in this recently completed quarter-century, from 2000-24, the Giants and Jets put some of their greatest players in franchise history on the field, groomed a few Hall of Famers, made several deep and exciting playoff runs and, thanks to the Giants, brought a pair of championships back to town.

Who, though, are the top 25 players (plus one coach!) of the past 25 years to wear either a Giants or Jets uniform .  .  . or in a couple of cases, both?

Here is Newsday’s All-Quarter Century Team that pulls from both franchises and attempts to assemble a starting lineup that would make New York something it hasn’t been regarding football in quite some time: proud.

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACK: Eli Manning

Who else? The guy won MVP in the city’s only two Super Bowls during the quarter-century, was a mainstay on the scene for 16 of the 25 years we’re examining and still remains one of the most popular players in the area despite not having taken a snap since 2019. There have been a few players who had better career numbers and floated into our region for a brief time (Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre) but neither of them was able to actually win anything. Manning’s closest competition at this position might actually be the underrated Mark Sanchez, who went to back-to-back AFC title games in his first two seasons with the Jets. Had he won one of those —  or had a bit more staying power — he might have entered into the conversation here. Instead, it’s Manning versus everyone else and Manning wins in a landslide.

RUNNING BACK: Curtis Martin

If quarterback is the easiest position to pick, running back might be the most difficult. Martin’s consistency and what he meant to the Jets during his six seasons this century edges out the Giants’ Tiki Barber of the Giants by a tighter margin than the 20 measly yards Shawn Alexander outran Barber by to win the 2005 rushing crown. 

There have been a few others worthy of consideration: Saquon Barkley’s injuries robbed him (and us) of what could have been a truly spectacular run; time in New York rather than one characterized by long stretches of disappointment dotted by memorable plays; and Brandon Jacobs broke Barber’s franchise record for most career rushing touchdowns while earning a Super Bowl ring. But from 2000-04, Martin averaged 1,363 rushing yards per season on a team with few other weapons. while Barber played most of his career alongside the Giants’ all-time leading receiver, an all-time great tight end and with two quarterbacks who would eventually bring the Giants to Super Bowl appearances.

FULLBACK: Tony Richardson

While John “Terminator” Conner of the Jets along with Madison Hedgecock and Henry Hynoski of the Giants all developed cult followings for doing their odd and largely under-the-radar jobs, rolling up their sleeves and doing the kind of dirty work that New Yorkers always appreciate, they were never quite able to perform with the precision and beautiful brutality that Richardson brought to the Jets for three seasons. Even though his Jets stint from 2008-10 represented the final three years of his career and he had only 22 carries without a touchdown for the Jets, he still was at the top of his game, helped Thomas Jones collect back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons and was named to the NFL’s All-Decade team for the 2000s.

WIDE RECEIVERS: Odell Beckham Jr., Amani Toomer

Two very different players in terms of their physical and personality traits top this position. Beckham was so combustible, he practically was made by the Gruccis. and he often lit up the darkness like one of their world-famous fireworks. His one-handed catch remains iconic, and an inspiration to an entire generation of receivers but he also racked up numbers at a clip unseen before his arrival. Then, of course, there was the flameout divorce. from the Giants that created just as big a stir as any play he made.

Toomer, on the other hand, was a model of consistency and a slow burn. whose early time in New York (albeit before our 2000 cutoff) was mostly lackluster. He had five straight 1,000-yard seasons (1999-2003), including 1,343 in 2002. He is the Giants’ franchise leader in catches receptions (668), yards (9,497) and touchdowns (54).

Two local folk heroes — Victor Cruz and Wayne Chrebet — deserve some kudos at the position as do Hakeem Nicks and Plaxico Burress, and if we were going to judge based solely on one play rather than an entire 25 years then David Tyree would need to be recognized here. But Beckham and Toomer get the firm nods. We will be watching closely to see how the careers of current star receivers Malik Nabers and Garrett Wilson play out in the next quarter century, though.

TIGHT END: Jeremy Shockey

As much as he Godzilla’d his way through New York headlines and pop culture during his six seasons, he trampled over the competition on the field. From his rookie season in 2002, in which he was named a first-team All-Pro, to his final year in 2007 (which ended with him a member of the Super Bowl-winning team but not participating in the game or the playoffs after suffering a broken leg), he went to four Pro Bowls, racked up 4,228 receiving yards and was never boring in any facet of his life.

His replacement late in that 2007 season and beyond, Kevin Boss, put together a nice career. Anthony Becht did some nice things with the Jets, too. But the aptly-named Shockey was such a force that it’s impossible to put anyone else in this spot.

OFFENSIVE LINE: D’Brickashaw Ferguson (LT), Kevin Mawae (LG), Nick Mangold (C), Chris Snee (RG), Kareem McKenzie (RT)

When you draft a left tackle, the ideal scenario is to put him out there as a rookie and not have to worry about the position for another decade. That’s exactly what happened when the Jets selected Ferguson in 2006. Over 10 seasons, he started every game — missing only one snap, and that was because of a gadget desperation play in 2008! — and was a three-time Pro Bowler.

Mawae played center with the Jets, who enjoyed the continuity of having him and Mangold at that critical position for 19 straight years beginning in 1998, but because Mawae had some experience at guard in Seattle before he came here, we’ll play the Hall of Famer there in this fantasy lineup. From 2000-05, Mawae was a five-time Pro Bowler, a first-team All-Pro in 2001 and a second-team All-Pro in 2000, 2002 and 2004.

Mangold then stepped in for him as a rookie in 2006, went to seven Pro Bowls and was first-team All-Pro in 2009 and 2010 and second-team in 2011.

Snee was the cornerstone of two Super Bowl championship O-lines for the Giants and the only player to start both of those wins over the Patriots at the same spot in the unit. He was sometimes overshadowed by other circumstances and storylines — in 2004 he was the second-round pick while the world was still buzzing over the trade for Eli Manning and he had to overcome the awkwardness of being Tom Coughlin’s eventual son-in-law — but his four Pro Bowls and two All-Pro nods make him the top interior lineman in team history, nevermind the past quarter century. 

McKenzie was the prototypical right tackle for both teams, starting his career as a third-round pick of the Jets in 2001 before signing with the Giants as a free agent in 2005, which for this discussion gives him an impressive 11 straight years playing at a high level in the metropolitan area. At 6-6 and playing at 330 pounds, McKenzee was as ferocious in the run game as he was protective on passing downs.

DEFENSE

DEs: Michael Strahan, Shaun Ellis

Strahan may be this area’s second-best individual defender of this quarter-century behind only Darrelle Revis, but when you consider his role as a leader on two Giants teams that went to Super Bowls and won one, plus his record-setting 22.5 sacks in 2001 that still stands as the single-season mark, there is a case to put him at the top of the list.

The other spot is deep with candidates that include Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and Jason Pierre-Paul, but Ellis gets it for his 72.5 career sacks in 11 seasons and another 80 tackles for loss.

DTs: Dexter Lawrence, Damon Harrison

This is a lot of tonnage in the middle of the line as both huge men who tip upward of 350 pounds at least (their weights were always unofficial and undersold) were anchors for their teams. Harrison, affectionately nicknamed Snacks, was an undrafted rookie with the Jets in 2012 and signed with the Giants as a free agent in 2016. In his seven seasons here, he never made a Pro Bowl (a crime) but was the best run-stuffer in the game.

Lawrence, a first-round pick of the Giants in 2019 out of Clemson, has been a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time second-team All-Pro with 30 career sacks . . . and the Sexy Dexy dances to accompany them.

OLBs: John Abraham, Calvin Pace

If defensive end had too many good players to choose from, this spot, manned by the likes of Lawrence Taylor and Carl Banks a generation earlier, oddly enough suffers from some lackluster options. Could Umenyiora or Pierre-Paul have played linebacker had their schemes asked them to? Maybe. But they were true ends. Abraham, though, was a legitimate edge rusher for the Jets from 2000-05 with three double-digit-sack seasons, and though he did play end, he had the athleticism to move to a traditional linebacker role later in his career. Pace came along in 2008 as a free agent and in the next eight seasons racked up 46.0 sacks for the Jets.

MLB: David Harris

Every defense needs a commander, and Harris was exactly that for the Jets. For most of his decade here, he was the every-down signal-caller and centerpiece of Rex Ryan’s complicated schemes. He had more than 100 tackles in seven of his seasons with the Jets. Jonathan Vilma and Antonio Pierce may have gotten more laurels, and made more flashy plays but Harris was the tough, smart, dependable player teams need at that spot.

CBs: Darrelle Revis, Sauce Gardner

A first-ballot Hall of Famer, Revis was in a league of his own among shutdown cornerbacks during his era. He was a Pro Bowler for the Jets every year from 2008-11 and a first-team All-Pro from 2009-11. His return to the Jets in 2015 and 2016 wasn’t as glorious and his contract squabbles with the team gave the front office headaches, but for those early years, there was no more daunting coverage for an NFL receiver to face than having to spend time on Revis Island.

Gardner, the youngest player on this list, is the potential heir to Revis’ currently undisputed claim as the best cornerback in Jets history after only three seasons in the league. If his trajectory continues to rise, he could enter the debate by the time we start parsing out the All-Half Century Team in 2050.

S: Antrel Rolle, Jamal Adams

Rolle was a Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro twice in his five seasons with the Giants, but his greatest achievement was willing the Giants to their most recent Super Bowl victory in the 2011 season.

Adams had a very rocky tenure with the Jets and lasted only three seasons, but he was impressive: two Pro Bowls, one second-team and one first-team All-Pro accolade before he was traded to the Seahawks in 2020.

SPECIAL TEAMS

RETURNER: Leon Washington

A fourth-round pick who stood 5-8, Washington had one of the NFL’s best years ever in 2008 when he returned three kickoffs for TDs and was named All-Pro and a Pro Bowler. In four seasons with the Jets, he accumulated 2,986 kickoff return yards, third in franchise history, and had four scores.

A few others have come close to his production — Justin Miller actually had slightly more return yards in his time with the Jets (3,066) and Domenik Hixon was a strong returner for the Giants on both kickoffs and punts — but Washington’s ability to make any kickoff riveting gives him this spot.

KICKER: Lawrence Tynes

Raise your hand if you connected on not one but two overtime field goals in conference title games that sent your team to a pair of Super Bowls. Only Tynes can make that claim and his two memorable clutch moments in Green Bay and San Francisco defied the elements of cold and mud to make him the town’s top kicker in this quarter century.

PUNTER: Jeff Feagles

You could make the argument that during his seven years with the Giants (2003-09), he was the most consistent player on either team. Pinning opponents inside the 20 was his specialty; he did it 137 times (34.7%), and only 28 of his 513 kicks were touchbacks. In 2008, at age 42, he was named to the Pro Bowl and he retired after the 2009 season in which he had just two touchdowns among his 64 attempts.

COACH: Tom Coughlin

This may seem like a runaway, and given his two Super Bowl titles it should be, but really the decision came down to one game: Dec. 24, 2011. Coughlin’s Giants beat Rex Ryan’s Jets in that contest (thanks to Victor Cruz’s 99-yard touchdown), managed to win the division despite just nine regular-season wins, then went on an epic postseason run to win Super Bowl XLVI over the same Patriots they beat in XLII. Had the Jets won that game, however, it very well could have been Ryan whose team trampolined off that day, possibly reaching or going beyond a third straight AFC Championship Game, and who knows how New York sports history plays out from there?

That game was the biggest in MetLife Stadium history in terms of the Giants and Jets legacies — bigger than the one home playoff game the Giants hosted a few weeks later and the Super Bowl played there between the Broncos and Seahawks — because of the divergent paths the two evenly-matched organization took afterward. The Giants rode their win to the Super Bowl while the Jets have yet to return to the postseason since that game. It was also a contrast in coaching styles as boisterous Ryan was brought down by Coughlin who made sure his players abided by his stoic mantra: “Talk is cheap, play the game.”