More On: new york jets
Everyone needs to relax when it comes to Zach Wilson
Colin Cowherd makes absurd Zach Wilson-Johnny Manziel comparison
Joe Namath, Victor Cruz moments highlight Jets-Giants preseason history
How Jets are handling Zach Wilson’s rough debut
Don’t write off Jets’ Denzel Mims just yet
The first three days of NFL free agency have been filled with big names, agreements, reports, insinuations and much-needed diversions from real life. But one name has barely been mentioned — Robby Anderson. The Jets’ free-agent wide receiver was projected to be one of the big names to come off the board early when teams …
The first three days of NFL free agency have been filled with big names, agreements, reports, insinuations and much-needed diversions from real life.
But one name has barely been mentioned — Robby Anderson. The Jets’ free-agent wide receiver was projected to be one of the big names to come off the board early when teams were permitted to negotiate with agents on Monday. But there has been no news on Anderson’s plans or of him being linked to any teams.
This could mean nothing. It is possible his camp is keeping things quiet. Or it could mean Anderson’s market is not developing as anticipated.
The Jets are sitting and waiting right now. Their stance all along has been they would like to bring Anderson back, but they did not want to overpay for him. Therefore, they were content to let him hit free agency and see what his market was before figuring out if they could keep him.
Anderson, 26, is considered the top receiver on the market now that the Cowboys have re-signed Amari Cooper and the Bengals used the franchise tag on A.J. Green. Cooper is the only receiver that has gotten paid this week, agreeing to a five-year, $100 million deal to return to Dallas.
Other than Cooper, the receiver market has been as quiet as New York City bars at the moment.
The big reason for this is how deep this draft is at receiver. The draft gurus say this is the deepest receiver draft in years, projecting 25-30 receivers with grades in the first three rounds.
That may be the route the Jets end up traveling if Anderson signs elsewhere. The rest of the free-agent crop is not that appealing. The Jets have shown interest in Patriots free agent Phillip Dorsett, according to a source, but he is not a No. 1 receiver. Emmanuel Sanders is the top free agent after Anderson. The 49ers receiver knows Jets coach Adam Gase from their time in Denver together and spoke highly of Gase at the Super Bowl this year. Other possibilities are Breshad Perriman of the Buccaneers and Demarcus Robinson of the Chiefs.
If GM Joe Douglas does not find any of those options appealing, he can wait for next month’s draft. The Jets could wind up with one of the top receivers in the draft, with Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy and Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb expected to be available when the Jets are on the board at No. 11.
They also could wait for Day 2 of the draft, when they have a second-round pick and two third-rounders, to grab a receiver.
Another area of need remains edge-rusher. It appears the Jets are going to let Jordan Jenkins, who led the team in sacks last year with eight, walk in free agency. A source said there have been very few productive conversations between the team and Jenkins’ camp. It appears the Jets do not want to pay Jenkins what he is seeking. The Giants are a possible landing spot for him.
The Jets have expressed interest in Eagles free agent Vinny Curry, according to a source. Curry, 31, had five sacks for Philadelphia last year. Douglas knows Curry from his time in the Eagles front office and Curry was a part of the Super Bowl team there.
The biggest free-agent fish still out there remains Jadeveon Clowney. The Seahawks pass-rusher is currently too expensive for the Jets, but if his market comes down the Jets could have interest.
