A season best forgotten in the standings could be exactly what the Jets need to build a memorable future

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The Jets have been here before.

A new head coach just finished his first season. Expectations and hope are flowing for the future. People are asking whether they can be a playoff contender in 2022. And a front office considers whether it is time to add pieces to the roster to push them over the hump.

It is all very familiar. In ’15, Todd Bowles went 10-6 in his first season and the Jets barely missed the playoffs after a heartbreaking loss in Buffalo. In ’19, Adam Gase’s Jets won six of their final eight games to finish at 7-9, stoking hope inside the organization that the Jets could be on the verge of turning things around.