The New York Jets club logo reflects its history, professional affiliation, and national commitment. The club’s name reflects the country’s “jet age”. The emblem’s impact helped it gain rapid recognition.
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in New York City. They play in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) East Division. The team was founded in 1960. The team’s headquarters are located in Florham Park, New Jersey.
Harry Wismer was the franchise’s first owner. He attempted to prevent the sale by filing for bankruptcy. He claimed that moving to Shea Stadium would generate enough income to make the team profitable. A syndicate of five people, led by Sonny Werblin, saved the team from bankruptcy by buying the “Titans” for $1 million. This syndicate, consisting of Townsend Martin, Leon Hess, Donald Lillis, and Philip Iselin, owned the team until 1977.
Hess became the full owner of the “Jets” in February 1984, when he bought out the shares of his partners, Townsend Martin and Helen Dillon, who had inherited a share from her father, Donald Lillis. He bought Martin’s share for $5 million and then purchased Dillon’s share for an additional $ 5 million. Leon Hess became known for his Hess Corporation gas stations, but he also played a significant role in the Jets’ development. Hess often fought for improvements while the team was a tenant at Shea Stadium, allowing football players to dig into sports matches.
Hess died in 2000, and when the team was put up for sale, two potential buyers emerged. Philanthropist Woody Johnson was known for expecting the best from his employees. He loved sports and wanted to own his own team.
The franchise got its name from its owner, Werblin. He chose from 500 candidates after the previous team was disbanded. It was named for its location between New York’s two main airports. Additionally, “Jets” sounded similar to the New York baseball team, “Mets.”
Meaning and History
Over time and across different eras, the franchise used several logo concepts. After the “Jets” received their current nickname, they changed their logo. The designs didn’t differ much; only the details reflecting the club’s current status changed. The official colors remained green, symbolizing hope, novelty, and positivity, and white.
What is the New York Jets?
The “New York Jets,” formerly known as the “New York Titans,” have been playing in the National Football League and the AFC East Division since 1970. Their headquarters are in Florham Park, New Jersey, and their home stadium is MetLife Stadium. The franchise’s official legal status is LLC.
1960 – 1962
When the team was called “The Titans of New York,” their logo depicted a running football player in uniform. Next to him is the inscription “The Titans of New York,” executed in several different fonts. The word “Titans” is in gold with a dark outline. All elements are placed on a white background.
1963
1963 marked significant changes in the athlete’s career, reflected in the logo. It was changed to a green airplane with the white inscription “JETS” inside its shape. The word “JETS” occupies almost the entire visible surface.
1964 – 1966
In 1964, the New York Jets’ logo was updated to feature a white-and-green football with the inscription “JETS” in green inside the football. The logo’s background features the outline of the letters “NY.” A small green football is located at the bottom of the logo.
1967 – 1969
This version is almost an inversion of the previous one. In the new 1967 logo, the previous logo was flipped from white to green. The geometric shapes, element arrangement, and size of the Jets logo remained the same.
1970 – 1977
Over the next seven years, another New York Jets symbol appeared, updated with a new color palette. The green became two to three shades darker. Behind the “JETS” emblem are the outlines of large white “NY” letters.
1978 – 1997
Ten years later, in 1978, the team revised the logo’s design. The only thing that remained untouched was the color. Now, the “Jets” logo is a stylized combination of the team’s nickname and an airplane, with one wing extending above the letters. It extends from the letter “J” and resonates with the other letters. The font is smooth, modern, and slightly right-leaning.
1998 – 2018
In 1998, Coach Bill Parcells, aiming to establish a new style for the team, changed the “New York Jets” logo, reverting to the 1965 logo because the oval had become more rounded at the ends and no longer resembled a football. The main color changed drastically to dark green.
2019 – 2023
The current New York Jets emblem is almost identical to the previous design, featuring the same inscriptions and an oval shape with rounded ends. A large word, “JETS,” is highlighted in white italics. As before, it is inside a green oval shaped like a football.
2024 – today
Font and Colors
The last six New York Jets logos share the same style, with minor details. They share a common symbol: a football. It has an oval shape and vertical seams at the center or just below it.
Many emblems feature two balls simultaneously: a large one in the background and a smaller one as an addition. Designers also include inscriptions with the team’s name. It can be the phrase “NEW YORK JETS,” as it is now, its abbreviated version with the acronym “NY,” or the word “JETS.” The text identifies the football club and immediately shows who owns the logo.
Since 2019, the club has used a sans-serif italic font for inscriptions. All letters are set in bold capitals. When the emblem had the acronym “NY,” it was written in an old-fashioned font.
The color palette has remained largely unchanged throughout the team’s history. The only exception is the first logo, adopted when the club was called “The Titans of New York”: it combined pale gold and blue shades. In later versions, the club used white and dark green. It remains relevant today.












