2002 New York Jets season
The 2002 season was the New York Jets' 33rd in the National Football League, their 43rd season overall and their second under List of [New York Jets head coaches|head coach] Herman Edwards. The team tried to improve upon their 10–6 record from 2001 but failed to do so after a 2–5 start. However, the Jets recovered and finished 9–7, winning their second AFC East division title.
After a 24–21 week 8 loss to the Cleveland Browns season|Cleveland Browns] at the Meadowlands dropped the Jets' season record to 2–5, head coach Herman Edwards gave his famous "You play to win the game" response to a question in his press conference the following Tuesday. Edwards' vigorous defense of his team's refusal to quit, along with the midseason debut of quarterback Chad Pennington, helped spark the Jets' turnaround.
After posting a stunning rout of the Indianapolis Colts season|Indianapolis Colts] by a score of 41–0 at the Meadowlands in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, they lost for the second year in a row to the eventual AFC champion Oakland Raiders season|Oakland Raiders], 30–10 in the Divisional round.
As of the 2025 season, this is the Jets' most recent AFC East division title and is also the last time they have hosted a home playoff game.
Offseason
2002 expansion draft
| Round | Overall | Name | Position | Expansion team |
| — | 2 | Ryan Young | Offensive Tackle | Houston Texans season|Houston Texans] |
| — | 3 | Aaron Glenn | Cornerback | Houston Texans |
| — | 3 | Marcus Coleman | Cornerback | Houston Texans |
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
| Kroy Bailey | Wide receiver | North [Carolina Tar Heels football|North Carolina] |
| Scott Bradley | Linebacker | Boston College |
| Jay Brooks | Cornerback | Texas A&M |
| Jaime Burrow | Linebacker | Nebraska |
| Ataveus Cash | Wide receiver | Howard |
| Joe Cooper | Linebacker | Ohio State |
| Andrew Davison | Cornerback | Kansas |
| Little John Flowers | Running back | Michigan State |
| Marcus Floyd | Cornerback | Indiana |
| Jerimiah Janssen | Linebacker | St. Norbert |
| Matt Knutson | Tackle | North Dakota |
| Chad Kuhns | Fullback | Wisconsin |
| Faaesea Mailo | Guard | USC |
| Tavon Mason | Wide receiver | Virginia |
| Kyle McCann | Quarterback | Iowa |
| Brandon Moore | Guard | Illinois |
| Idris Price | Linebacker | New Haven |
| Johnathan Reese | Running back | Columbia |
| Doug Shanahan | Safety | Hofstra |
| Chris Smith | Tackle | UC Davis |
Regular season
Schedule
Under the NFL's newly established schedule rotation, during the 2002 regular season the Jets played against all of the teams from the AFC West, as well as the Cleveland Browns from the AFC North and the Jacksonville Jaguars season|Jacksonville Jaguars] from the AFC South, who finished in the same positions as the Jets in their respective divisions in 2001. Their non-conference opponents were from the NFC North.Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.