In 2001, Testaverde led the Jets back to the playoffs, where they lost in the first round to the Oakland Raiders. In 2002, he was replaced after a 1-3 start by Chad Pennington. He made cameo appearances to take the last snap in both the playoff clinching game versus the Green Bay Packers and the 41-0 playoff win against the Indianapolis Colts. In 2003, he was assigned to a backup role behind Pennington, although he started the first six games due to Pennington's left wrist injury.