Getty Former New York Jets quarterback Mike White in January of 2023.
New York Jets fans decided to have some fun with the division rival Miami Dolphins on May 9 after a new reported signing.
Player agent Mike McCartney announced the deal, which was later picked up by several NFL insiders and reporters. “Congrats to Tyler Kroft agreeing to a one-year deal with the @MiamiDolphins @Kroft86,” McCartney shared on Twitter.
Congrats to Tyler Kroft agreeing to a one year deal with the @MiamiDolphins @Kroft86
Unfortunately for Kroft, the ex-Jets tight end quickly fell victim to an offseason trend that has turned into a running joke among NYJ supporters.
Tyler Kroft Becomes Latest Ex-Jet to Sign With Dolphins
Players are often recycled around the NFL and that goes double for division rivals. Jets fans have witnessed this over the years with Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots, as well as Sean McDermott and the Buffalo Bills in recent seasons.
In 2023, however, the Dolphins have gone a bit overboard. After inking former NYJ quarterback Mike White as their backup, Miami has gone on to sign four Jets retreads on the offensive side of the ball including WR/KR Braxton Berrios, WR Chosen “Robbie” Anderson, C/G Dan Feeney and now Kroft.
This turn of events — plus the Aaron Rodgers reports from this spring — created a clever joke on Twitter that has become trendy in a hurry, and it involves the idea of a quarterback “wish list.”
“Time to admit Mike White had a ‘wish list’,” one Jets fan voiced after the news. Others had the same idea, as another commented on a different tweet with a similar wisecrack. “Phish loading up on guys from Mike White’s wish list,” they wrote.
More Jets fans weighed in on the Kroft signing too with jokes like “the Miami Jets” and “Jets South.”
“Dolphins like signing Jets leftovers,” another NYJ supporter laughed. And the next pointed out: “Dolphins fans making fun of the Jets for signing former [Green Bay] Packers yet their own team keeps signing former Jets.”
All of this appeared to frustrate Dolphins fans on Twitter, who replied with responses like “Jets are a 4th place team” and “the New York Packers.” All jokes aside, this long-withstanding rivalry looks to be heating up at the right time.
Tyler Kroft’s Jets Career Was Massively Disappointing
As for Kroft, few Jets fans will remember the veteran tight end fondly — unless they think back to his Rutgers days.
After beginning his NFL career as a third-round selection of the Cincinnati Bengals, Kroft made his initial jump to the AFC East in 2019, joining the Bills. His two seasons in Buffalo failed to emulate a career-campaign in Cincy (404 receiving yards, seven touchdowns), and so he moved on once more.
That’s where the Jets came into the picture. Kroft signed in New York as the presumptive starter in 2021, Zach Wilson’s rookie season with the franchise. After connecting with the oft-injured TE for two touchdowns during a preseason audition, it felt like Wilson and Kroft had something brewing.
That feeling did not last long, however. Kroft was injured early in the year after an uneventful start. He ended up appearing in nine games (starting six) with a season-high of 38 receiving yards against the Indianapolis Colts. To make matters worse, the supposed red zone threat only caught one touchdown on the campaign — somehow falling short of his preseason mark that was accomplished in one half of football.
Kroft finished his lone Jets season with 173 receiving yards and ended up losing starts to a combination of Ryan Griffin and Trevon Wesco. He spent the 2022 campaign with the San Francisco 49ers before returning to the AFC East once again, and has not surpassed 200 receiving yards in a season since 2017.