You may remember him most for his name, but Bubba Franks was a pretty productive tight end during his eight seasons in Green Bay, making three Pro Bowl appearances as one of Brett Favre's targets.
Ironically, Franks signed a one-year deal with the New York Jets on March 16, 2008, a couple weeks after Favre retired from football. Of course, Favre would come back, and with the Packers ready to turn the page to Aaron Rodgers, they eventually traded the Hall of Famer to the Jets, reuniting him with Franks.
As we all know, sometimes the idea of a reunion proves to be better than the reality.
While Favre tossed six touchdowns in a late-September game with the Jets, a shoulder injury derailed what proved to be his lone season in New York. Favre threw as many interceptions - 22 - as he did touchdowns in 2008, and the 9-7 Jets missed the playoffs. Franks - whose real first name is Daniel - had just six catches for 47 yards in his final NFL season.
In addition to Franks, here are five other notable players who had forgettable stints with the Jets:
Kliff Kingsbury
Kliff Kingsbury is now the head coach of the New York Jets.
(Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Before he was the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals - with one of the nicest homes in America - Kingsbury spent a few seasons in the NFL as a quarterback. While Kingsbury would also have stints in the organizations of the New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills, the Jets were the only team that he actually took a snap in a regular season game for. After being claimed on waivers by the Jets in September of 2008, Kingsbury got to throw two passes in the team's Week 10 game against the Denver Broncos. The 17-yard pass he completed to Dante Ridgeway in the fourth quarter of a 27-0 loss was the only successful pass of his NFL career.
Patrick Ramsey
Patrick Ramsey spent a season with the Jets.
(Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
After throwing for over 9,000 yards in his collegiate career at Tulane, Ramsey was selected by Steve Spurrier and The Washington Football Team with the No. 32 pick in the 2002 NFL Draft. Ramsey would outlast Spurrier in the organization, but that speaks more to how quickly the "Head Ball Coach" bailed on the NFL. Ramsey posted a 10-14 record in four seasons in Washington, tossing 34 touchdowns to 29 interceptions. Ahead of his age-27 season, he was dealt to the Jets for a sixth-round pick. He attempted even less passes as a Jet than Kingsbury, going 0-1 for Gang Green. In March of 2007, the Jets released Ramsey.
Lito Sheppard
Lito Sheppard spent a season with the Jets.
(Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
A first-round pick out of Florida in the 2002 NFL Draft, Sheppard was a star for some of Andy Reid's best Philadelphia Eagles teams. He made two Pro Bowls in Philadelphia, and was an All-Pro in 2004, the same year the Eagles reached the Super Bowl for the second time in franchise history. Unfortunately for Sheppard, he struggled to stay healthy during his career, and eventually fell out of favor with an Eagles team that would go on to employ Asante Samuel, in addition to Sheldon Brown. Prior to the 2009 season, the Jets acquired Sheppard for a fifth-round pick and a conditional selection the following year. The trade proved unsuccessful for the Jets, as Sheppard played in just 11 games for the team in his lone season as a Jet.
Derrick Mason
Derrick Mason had a forgettable stint with the Jets.
(Elsa/Getty Images)
One of the most underrated receivers in NFL history, Mason had eight seasons where he topped 1,000 receiving yards, and is 27th in NFL history with 12,061 career receiving yards. Just 115 of those yards came as a member of the Jets, who traded him away in October of 2011 after a reported falling out with offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. Most remembered for his stints with the Tennessee Oilers/Titans and Baltimore Ravens, Mason would wrap up his 15-year NFL career with the Houston Texans, the team the Jets traded him to.
Ed Reed
Ed Reed spent part of his final NFL season with the Jets.
(Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
Reed is one of the most dominant safeties in NFL history, and therefore was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2019. However, while Reed was a five-time All-Pro during his 11 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, his final NFL season in 2013 wasn't quite as memorable. Reed signed a three-year/$15 million deal with the Houston Texans prior to the 2013 season, but didn't even make it through the first season of a deal that guaranteed him just $5 million. Reed was released by the Texans in November, and caught on with the Jets for the final seven games of the 2013 campaign, who were coached by his longtime defensive coordinator in Baltimore, Rex Ryan. Reed had three interceptions with the Jets, in what ended up being his final NFL stop.
Other Entries in This Series
- 5 Players You Forgot Played For The Chicago Bears
- 5 Players You Forgot Played For The Detroit Lions
- 5 Players You Forgot Played For The Cleveland Browns
- 5 Players You Forgot Played For The Philadelphia Eagles
- 5 Players You Forgot Played For The New York Giants
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