On the same day, Mike Maccagnan was fired and Adam Gase received the interim general manager title, the latter shipped Darron Lee to Kansas City for a sixth-round pick.
The Jets’ first-round pick in 2016 was sent packing with a logjam at inside linebacker. New York signed C.J. Mosley to pair with Avery Williamson, drafted Blake Cashman and added Neville Hewitt as depth.
Lee was traded to the Chiefs nearly a month after the Jets received new uniforms. Besides Jamal Adams, Lee was the biggest proponent of a Gang Green makeover, often taking to Twitter to advocate for an apparel change.
A fan of what New York ended up with, Lee never got the chance to don any of the three new uniforms.
“I never got to wear them. Talk about irony,” Lee told the New York Post. “I loved them. I’m glad the fans love them. I’m glad they can enjoy them.”
Regardless, Lee added that he has no hard feelings toward the Jets. They gave him an opportunity to win a Super Bowl despite not being a huge contributor to the Chiefs’ winning efforts.
Though he played in all 16 games in 2019, Lee rarely saw the field. He went from a starting-caliber linebacker in New York to being relegated to special teams duties in Kansas City. He started two games in the regular season and has been inactive for the first two rounds of the playoffs. That will likely be the case Sunday against the 49ers.
Still, Lee has a chance to win a ring while wearing red and yellow. That’s far more than he would have been able to say had he worn the Jets’ new uniforms in 2019.
