1997 New York Jets season
| 1997 New York Jets season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Bill Parcells |
| Owner | Leon Hess |
| Home field | The Meadowlands |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–7 |
| Division place | 3rd AFC East |
| Playoff finish | did not qualify |
The 1997 New York Jets season began with the team trying to improve upon its league-worst and franchise-worst 1–15 record from 1996. Sparked by the arrival of head coach Bill Parcells, who replaced Rich Kotite, and was coming off a Super Bowl berth the previous season, the Jets improved to 9–7, but narrowly missed the playoffs after losing their final game of the season.
For most of the end of the 1996 season, the Jets were courting Parcells to take over their football operations. This drew criticism from the team that employed Parcells at the time, the New England Patriots, who were in the middle of a push that eventually led to a loss in Super Bowl XXXI. Parcells made a now-infamous statement regarding the Patriots' unwillingness to give him more of a say in football matters: "If they want you to cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries."
Parcells eventually announced his resignation but was bound by the terms of his contract with the Patriots, which forbade him from coaching anywhere else until the contract expired. To temporarily resolve the situation the Jets hired Bill Belichick, Parcells' top assistant, to be the coach and hired Parcells for an advisory role. The Patriots were unamused, and complained to the league. Eventually commissioner Paul Tagliabue brokered a deal with the two teams where Parcells would be able to coach the Jets and the Patriots would receive the Jets' first round draft pick the next year. This allowed the Jets to avoid sending the number-one overall pick in the 1997 NFL Draft, which they had earned from their 1–15 finish, to the Patriots (which New England had initially demanded in order to allow Parcells to move to the Jets).
In regards to that pick, two players were on the Jets' radar. One was Ohio State offensive lineman Orlando Pace, who was coming out of school a year early. The other was Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning, who had graduated from school in three years but still had a year of eligibility left, yet was expected by many to come out for the draft. Manning announced he would return to Tennessee for his senior season, and instead of taking Pace with the #1 pick the Jets traded it to the St. Louis Rams. The Jets instead drafted Virginia linebacker James Farrior.
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