And then there were two.
The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will square off in Super Bowl LIV in Miami. Kansas City ended the Titans’ magical run with a 35-24 win Sunday, while the 49ers dominated the Packers, 37-20.
With these two teams one win away from winning a championship, let’s take a look at some former Jets players who will be participating in this year’s Super Bowl.
Morris Claiborne
This will be Morris Claiborne’s first Super Bowl.
Claiborne hasn’t been much of a contributor for the Chiefs, as he’s only been active in eight games. In both playoff games, Claiborne has been a healthy scratch.
Claiborne was with the Jets in 2017 and 2018 as the No. 1 cornerback. In two seasons, Claiborne recorded 78 total tackles, 22 pass defenses, three interceptions and a touchdown.
New York decided not to bring Claiborne back despite the team’s need for cornerbacks after he was suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
Darron Lee
After being traded during the offseason, Darron Lee finds himself in the Super Bowl.
Just like Claiborne, Lee has primarily been a backup for Kansas City. Lee has made two starts for the Chefs this year and played in every game during the regular season. However, Lee has been a healthy scratch throughout the playoffs.
Lee was a first-round pick by Gang Green in 2016 out of Ohio State. He had a hard time adjusting to the NFL game at first, but came around toward the end of the 2017 season and into the 2018 season. But a suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy last season pretty much ended his Jets career.
Adam Gase dealt Lee to the Chiefs for a sixth-round pick after the Jets signed C.J. Mosley in free agency. In three years, Lee had 155 total tackles, 11 pass defenses, three interceptions and a touchdown.
Mike Pennel
Mike Pennel is the only former Jet who actually has seen playing time for his new team during the playoffs.
Pennel had four total tackles in the AFC Championship Game against Tennessee and two total tackles in the Divisional Round against the Texans.
The former Jets defensive tackle was with New York in 2017 and 2018. He had 36 total tackles and a pass defense in two seasons. The Jets could’ve brought him back this season, but ultimately decided to decline the option on his contract.
