Every NFL franchise's greatest wide receiver ever
By Nick Villano
New York Jets
Don Maynard
Both New York teams have a strange history with wide receivers. There are some iconic players at every position for the New York Jets, but name the receiver that comes to mind for Gang Green. Wayne Chrebet, Keyshawn Johnson, Laveranues Coles, Santana Moss, and a few others come to mind immediately. Yet, none of them were that good, even though Johnson was literally the number-one overall pick. No, to get to the best receiver in Jets history, we have to go back near the beginning.
Don Maynard was a foundational element for those early New York Jets years. His connection with Joe Namath was famous for its productivity. Ironically, he was drafted by the Giants in the NFL, but he didn’t really take off until joining the New York Titans (who later changed their name to the Jets) in 1960.
Maynard quickly became a big-play maker. He broke 1,000 yards in five of his first nine seasons on the other NY team. He was a four-time Pro Bowler and made the All-Pro team in 1969 despite it being one of the few seasons where he had under 1,000 yards. He was one of the most impactful players in the league from 1965 to 1969.
We hear about everything Namath did to win Super Bowl III, but the Jets are without a championship if Maynard is not there. He’s the one to catch the game-winning touchdown, which bailed out a bad Namath interception, by the way. The future Hall of Famer was playing with a pulled hamstring, but that didn’t stop him from putting up 112 yards and two touchdowns right before this in the AFL Championship against the Raiders. Maynard carried the Jets, Namath only guaranteed them.