The New York Jets have had a very patient approach to free agency overall and specifically at the wide receiver position.
However, according to Connor Hughes of SNY, general manager Joe Douglas is ready to “pounce” on the wideout market.
“I’m told they are continuing to monitor the free agent market at receiver. This was always something that they wanted to dabble in they just wanted to dabble in it at their price. That was very specific,” Hughes explained. “Joe Douglas had his price that he was willing to pay players and much like his first four seasons as this team’s general manager he was not going to go over that specific price for specific players. That’s why he bowed out of the Calvin Ridley sweepstakes. You saw that massive contract that he got from the Tennessee Titans. That just wasn’t a price that Joe Douglas was willing to pay, but now he is going to be able to survey the receivers that are still there.”
“All of these [receivers] haven’t signed yet, which means that they might have been asking for more than they were worth or more than teams were willing to give them. Now I think is where you can see the Jets start to pounce, but they are absolutely monitoring that market at receiver,” Hughes continued.
Jets Connected to Suddenly Available Wide Receiver
On Wednesday, March 13 the LA Chargers announced that they released veteran wide receiver Mike Williams in a cost-cutting move, per NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
“He was a player that the Jets were very high on two years ago before he re-signed with LA. That could be something that they might get involved in. Again he has had some injury issues which could drive his price down,” Hughes said.
Williams, 29, is coming off of a season in which he tore his ACL. He also had a scary neck injury when he was in college at Clemson.
During his seven-year career to date, Williams has missed 27 games due to an array of injury issues. The good news is Williams has appeared in at least 10 games in six of his seven years in the league.
The former Clemson product has racked up 309 receptions for 4,806 receiving yards and has hauled in 31 touchdowns.
Analyst Connects the Dots Between Jets and Williams
Bleacher Report released a video today breaking down the top landing spots for Williams. One of the teams that was mentioned is the green and white.
“Mike Williams might be somebody that actually fits the timeline of the Jets perfectly because they can sign him to a one or two-year deal and Aaron Rodgers is probably going to be around and competitive for one to three more years,” a Bleacher Report analyst explained. “Mike Williams is a big framed receiver. I mean who throws the back shoulder pass better than Aaron Rodgers? Who throws with touch better than Aaron Rodgers? You just have to throw the ball in his vicinity and he can make something happen. Think James Jones on steroids for Aaron Rodgers.”
The Jets need to provide Rodgers with more legitimate proven weapons. Garrett Wilson needs more help out there so defenses can’t just focus in on him.
Wilson explained at the end of the season that the Jets need to add some variety to the diet at wideout. Williams would be a perfect complement to Wilson because they have completely different games.
Williams is a big-bodied 50-50 ball receiver who can take the top off of a defense. Wilson on the other hand is a smoother operator with fluidity in his movement. He has a unique gift to create separation.
That potential yin-yang at wide receiver would help both of them reach new heights in 2024.
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