Appearing in the NFL league, the Jets have been playing outside New York for nearly 40 years. Their home since 1984 has been East Rutherford, New Jersey, where they first played at Giants Stadium and now at MetLife Stadium. Now Joe Addabbo, a senator from New York wants the franchise to return to Queens.

Nearly four decades outside Empire State

The New York Jets were founded in 1959 and were originally called the Titans. Initially, they played their games at Polo Grounds stadium in Upper Manhattan. When the team was sold it took its present name and from 1964 began playing at the newly opened Shea Stadium in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens. 20 years later, the Jets moved to the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where they share a stadium with another New York-based franchise, the Giants.

Giants Stadium their first shared home was in use until 2010 when it was replaced by the state-of-the-art MetLife Stadium. Following the completion of the latter, its predecessor, which was in close proximity, was demolished. Next year will be exactly forty years since the Jets have been performing outside the city they have in their name. Even longer on the market, although now also online, is Bally Online Casino NJ, only available in the state of New Jersey.

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New York lawmaker wants the Jets back in Queens

Joe Addabbo, democratic senator from New York and chairman of the state's racing, gaming and wagering committee, is eager for the Jets return to Queens. The Jets coming back to New York would be monumental, Addabbo said, via Legal Sports Report. MLS team New York City FC are planning to build a new venue, under the working name of Willets Point Stadium in the borough of Queens. The capacity of the arena is to meet the needs of the soccer team with 25,000 seats in the stands.

In addition to the new stadium, the investment also includes the construction of residential buildings with 2,500 affordable units as well as retail and service areas. In addition, a 250-room hotel and a primary school will also be constructed. New public areas are also intended, and the entire 23-acre Willets Point site will be extensively redeveloped.

Addabbo sees a new facility for NYFC as a relocation opportunity for the Jets. At the moment, plans call for a stadium with far too small a capacity, but the senator believes a larger arena should be thought of. If you’re building a stadium, and I know it’s only 25,000 seats, but if you’ve got that kind of incentive to build a stadium, if the opportunity is there with the land and the expiring leases, we can connect the dots, why miss this opportunity? They’d have their own stadium, a newer, more technologically-advanced stadium, with all-new amenities and everything. To go into a brand-new stadium as the New York Jets and the marketing behind it, that just blows it out of the water.

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As Addabbo noted, the Jets have the option to opt out of their 25-year MetLife Stadium lease. The Jets and Giants both have the possibility of walking away from their stadium leases in 2025, as long as they give 12 months' notice to the state of New Jersey. After that, both teams will have the same opportunity to opt out every five years. The lawmaker is proposing to increase the planned 25,000-seat venue in Queens to about 80,000 capacity  to accommodate the NFL franchise.