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FOXBOROUGH, MA – SEPTEMBER 20: Bill Parcells shows off his red jacket during the New England Patriots Hall of Fame induction of Bill Parcells and Julian Edelman on September 20, 2025, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire NFL, American Football Herren, USA SEP 20 Patriots Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon482250920021
Imago
FOXBOROUGH, MA – SEPTEMBER 20: Bill Parcells shows off his red jacket during the New England Patriots Hall of Fame induction of Bill Parcells and Julian Edelman on September 20, 2025, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire NFL, American Football Herren, USA SEP 20 Patriots Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon482250920021
Bill Parcells had just pulled off one of the more remarkable turnarounds in NFL history. He dragged the New York Jets from a 1-15 disaster to an AFC Championship appearance in two seasons flat. And heading into 1998, he needed the offensive line to match his ambitions. The man he targeted was Kevin Mawae, a center coming off a standout run in Seattle and about to hit free agency. But a video the Pro Football Hall of Fame just resurfaced reveals that the meeting where it all came together went nothing as you’d imagine.
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“When I got drafted into the NFL, I told my wife that I would never want to play for Bill Parcells,” Mawae revealed in a video shared by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “Fast forward, I get drafted to Seattle, and I become a free agent. So in ’98, I go on free agent trips, and I go to New York Jets. So I had a meeting with Parcells, and I said, ‘Coach, I’m just gonna be honest with you. I said, I would never live in New York; I never wanted to play for you.'”
However, Bill Parcells really wanted Mawae on the team, and in time, it happened. From 1998 to 1999, while they were both with the Jets, Mawae became the backbone of the offensive line and showed everyone how valuable he was. What began with doubt quickly blossomed into a solid partnership, with Mawae developing into one of the top players in his position.
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He did NOT want to play for Parcells.
Kevin Mawae tells his story on joining the New York Jets in 1998. pic.twitter.com/lufNtbfer5
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) April 11, 2026
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“I told him because all I see about you is yelling, screaming, cussing the players,” Mawae added. “I don’t want to be coached that way, and I don’t respond to that kind of coaching. And he goes, ‘Mawae, you don’t worry about it. He goes, ‘If you’re the player I think you are, you’ll never have to hear me yell at you.’ And he never did.”
Their trust really worked out well. Shortly after getting to New York, Mawae landed a five-year contract worth $17 million, plus a $5 million signing bonus, which made him the highest-paid center in the NFL back then.
Following that, he truly excelled, earning selections to the Pro Bowl from 1999 to 2004 and receiving seven All-Pro honors. Throughout his career, he earned a reputation as a dependable lineman, helping to create opportunities for running backs to consistently rush for over 1,000 yards, including Chris Johnson’s incredible 2,000-yard season with the Titans.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame inducted him in 2019, solidifying his place in football history.
Interestingly, this season, there were even whispers about him possibly returning to the Jets in another capacity, but that never happened.
Kevin Mawae’s possible Jets return quietly gained buzz before fading away
Earlier this February, a little news about the New York Jets led to a bigger discussion. NFL insider Aaron Wilson shared that offensive assistant Walter Kusmirek was no longer part of the team, creating an opening on the coaching staff. Shortly after, NFL analyst Will Parkinson chimed in by sharing a picture of Hall of Famer Kevin Mawae in a Jets uniform, captioning it simply with “Soon.”
Meanwhile, that hint quickly turned into a real talking point. On February 4, Parkinson named Mawae as a “name to watch for Frank Reich’s staff with the Jets.”
“If Glenn really wanted to win back some fans, he’d bring former Jets center Kevin Mawae back to Florham Park—Mawae was on Reich’s staff in Indy,” Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic added more context.
In addition, Mawae has quietly developed a strong coaching background since he finished playing. He started his NFL journey in 2016 as an assistant offensive line coach for the Chicago Bears. Then, he spent three years at Arizona State working as an offensive analyst before coming back to the NFL in 2021 with the Indianapolis Colts in a similar position.
Interestingly, coaching was never part of his original plan. However, a conversation with Dowell Loggains shifted his thinking.
“Dowell Loggains—who’s spent a number of years as an NFL offensive coordinator and was a quality control coach with the Titans toward the end of Mawae’s career—pushed him in that direction,” Stankevitz revealed, which explains how the idea took shape.
Yet, even with the initial excitement from Florham Park and the loyal Jets fans, the talk gradually faded. Right now, the return hasn’t taken place, but there’s still a chance for a reunion down the line.
Written by
Edited by
Yogesh Thanwani