 In Walton's first months as head coach, the team made a decision which would long be discussed and criticized. In the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft, New York selected quarterback Ken O'Brien. In drafting O 'Brien, the Jets passed up University of Pittsburgh quarterback Dan Marino, who went on to have a stellar career with the Dolphins, and would many times be a thorn in the Jets' side. The 1983 season started with high expectations, but the Jets dropped to 7 – 9. The Jets' lease at Shea Stadium was due to expire after 1983; Jets majority owner Leon Hess and New York Mayor Ed Koch attempted to negotiate a new lease for the team. The Jets wanted the city to redevelop the stadium to expand its capacity to 67,000 and to alleviate its rundown state. Hess felt that Koch was uninterested in the Jets (he had attended one Jets game in his six years as mayor, and had left early). Negotiations soon reached an impasse, and in October 1983, the team announced it would move to Giants Stadium beginning in the 1984 season.
