The1992 New York Jets season was the 33rd season for the team and the 23rd in theNational Football League. The Jets were looking to improve on their 8–8 record under head coachBruce Coslet in 1991 and also make a second consecutive trip to the postseason.

The Jets' problems began in the offseason when veteran quarterbackKen O'Brien announced he was holding out of training camp to get a new contract. O'Brien’s holdout continued into the season and Coslet named second-year backupBrowning Nagle as the team's starter. Nagle did not have an effective year, only winning three of his thirteen starts. He was eventually replaced by O'Brien late in the year, but was pressed back into action after the veteran suffered a season-ending injury. The Jets didn't win a game until Week 5 againstthe New England Patriots and only won three more times the rest of the year to finish with a 4–12 record. Two of those wins came against division rivals, the eventual AFC ChampionBuffalo Bills and the AFC East winner and conference runner upMiami Dolphins.

In addition to O'Brien’s injury, the Jets saw three of their starters lost to catastrophic injuries. In Week 2 defensive endJeff Lageman, who had been a defensive star for the Jets during their 1991 playoff push, went down with a season-ending injury. Then, in a Week 10 loss tothe Denver Broncos, star receiverAl Toon suffered a concussion. It was his ninth in eight seasons as a professional, and on the morning following the game Toon announced his immediate retirement due to the accumulation of concussions during his career.

Finally, in a Week 13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at home, another major injury befell the Jets. During a Chiefs offensive series, Byrd advanced on quarterbackDave Krieg and was attempting to sack him. As he was doing this, his teammateScott Mersereau was approaching from the other side of the formation. Byrd reached Krieg first and was able to strip the ball from him, forcing a fumble. A second later, Byrd collided with Mersereau, whom he did not see approaching, hitting him in the chest with the crown of his helmet. The collision broke the C5 vertebrae in Byrd’s neck, leaving him paralyzed.

The Jets wore a decal on their helmets for the rest of the season with Byrd's #90 surrounding anichthys. With Byrd's injury still fresh in their minds the Jets went to Buffalo for their Week 14 matchup with the Bills and defeated them for their fourth and last win of the season.

Byrd began undergoing an aggressive physical therapy regimen and would eventually regain the ability to walk. He returned to Giants Stadium as an honorary captain for the team’s home opener the following season. His jersey number was never issued again by the Jets, but was not officially retired until 2012.

After the season, Jets star running backFreeman McNeil announced his retirement. At the time of his retirement he was the all-time leading rusher in Jets history, but he has since been surpassed byCurtis Martin.

• 1992 statistics

• New York Jets seasons
• 1992 NFL season by team
• 1992 in sports in New Jersey
• 20th century in East Rutherford, New Jersey
• Meadowlands Sports Complex

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from November 2013