The New York Jets were somehow still alive in the playoff math before Sunday, but their 34-10 loss to the Dolphins completely shut that door. It’s hard to find many bright spots in a season like this, but the Jets receiver Isaiah Williams has quietly been one of them. And on Sunday, he carved out a little piece of team history with a major milestone.

The Jets announced that Williams became just the third player in franchise history to record multiple punt-return touchdowns in a single season.

“The third player in franchise history with multiple punt return TDs in a season. keep ’em coming,” the Jets wrote on X.

Williams joins Dick Christy (1961, 1962) and Santana Moss (2002) on that short list. The Jets’ receiver took a 78-yarder to the house against Miami and had a 74-yard score against Cleveland last month. Add in Kene Nwangwu’s 99-yard kickoff return touchdown, and the Jets now have three return scores this season. Their most since 2007.

Nwangwu broke down why the return units have been a rare thing, actually working in New York.

“Kick return is so unique. You’ve got 10 guys blocking. There’s no glory for one of them if I score a touchdown, but it’s a very selfless team and I think that’s why we’re finding a lot of success,” Nwangwu said.

That sense of cohesion hasn’t carried over to many other areas of this roster.

As for Williams, it might be time to see more of him on offense. He’s played 21.02% of offensive snaps and 29.11% on special teams, with only 61 receiving yards on seven catches, but 653 kick-return yards. With the Jets desperate for playmaking, expanding his role feels overdue.

Because, truthfully, the Jets’ receiving production has been among the worst in football. Outside of Garrett Wilson, not a single wideout cleared more than two touchdowns this year. Combine that with subpar quarterback play, and the offense never found a rhythm.

Head coach Aaron Glenn has a mountain of work ahead of him, but finding ways to squeeze every ounce of explosive potential out of guys like Williams is part of the path forward, and part of what has to change if the Jets want next season to look anything like a playoff chase.

Jets extend their playoff drought to 15 years

The Jets’ playoff drought officially stretched to 15 years on Sunday after their 34-10 loss to the Dolphins at MetLife Stadium. Everyone saw it coming once that 0–7 start buried them two months ago, but the finality of it still stings.

New York now stands alone with the longest active postseason drought in major North American men’s sports—NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and MLS. For years, they’ve traded that embarrassment back and forth with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, who sit at 14 seasons and counting. But the Jets are out front again.

For most of the year, the Jets sat near the bottom of almost every meaningful metric. At times, they looked completely drained. When the organization hired Aaron Glenn in January, he told fans to “expect a winning team that you will be proud of.” Instead, the season began with seven straight losses, riddled with miscues and missed opportunities.

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Someday, the drought will end. And when it does, it won’t just be a football moment. It will feel like a generational curse lifting. Glenn has to make sure next season is different. The encouraging part is that even after everything, the locker room still seems to believe in him.

Parting with stars like Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams for draft capital suggests Glenn has a long-term plan. Now he has to prove it.