The New York Jets are looking to put together a better season in 2024 than they were able to produce in 2023. Indeed, after all the offseason hype surrounding the Aaron Rodgers trade and the Jets’ numerous free agent signings, the 7-10 record by the end of the regular season was perhaps one of the biggest let-downs of the year.
Of course, the fact that Rodgers injured his Achilles in Week One and was lost for the season did not help much. Seemingly every free agent that New York brought in to appease Rodgers underperformed, including wide receiver Allen Lazard, who signed a four-year $44 million contract.
Having Rodgers back on the field in 2024 will surely be a great improvement, but 2023 showed the Jets front office that the talent around the quarterback position was not nearly good enough to be competitive.
The New York Jets Brought in Wide Receiver Mike Williams to Bolster Their Group of Pass Catchers
On March 13, the Los Angeles Charges decided to cut some costs and released wide receiver Mike Williams, who had been limited to just three games in 2023 due to a torn ACL.
The Jets signed Williams, the seventh overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, to a one-year deal that could be worth as much as $15 million less than a week later.
Williams, who did play much as a rookie, splashed onto the scene in his second year when he had 43 receptions for 664 yards and 10 touchdowns.
In 2019, Williams’ third year in the NFL, he had 49 receptions for 1,001 yards and two touchdowns. He also led the NFL with a 20.9 yards per catch rate.
Two years later, in 2021, Williams set career highs with 76 receptions and 1,146 yards. He also caught nine touchdowns that season.
The New York Jets Have Been Linked to Former Green Bay Packers Wide Receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling
The Jets currently have, on paper, a decent group of wide receivers with Garrett Wilson and Williams holding the top two spots on the depth chart. However, there are still concerns that their pass catching group is not deep enough.
For this reason, one Jets writer, Ralph Ventre of Sports Illustrated, has suggested that the team look into signing Rodgers’ former teammate and two-time Super Bowl Champion Marquez Valdes-Scantling:
“Wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling played the last two seasons for the back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs but remains available on the free agent market heading into the back half of OTAs.
“Prior to landing with the Chiefs, Valdes-Scantling spent four seasons with Rodgers in the Green Bay Packers’ offense. The 2018 fifth-round pick, who played out his rookie contract in Green Bay, could fill the Jets’ need for a pure deep ball threat.
“The 29-year-old Valdes-Scantling carries a 17.0 yards per catch career average along with plenty of big-game experience. He made a key touchdown catch helping the Chiefs past San Francisco in Super Bowl LVIII.”
Valdes-Scantling, as noted, has big game experience. Even in the Green Bay Packers’ loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2020 NFC Championship Game, he had four receptions for 115 yards.
Rodgers’ familiarity with Valdes-Scantling is certainly a selling point, as is the fact that he has two Super Bowl rings.
If New York were to pursue MVS, he would likely not be that expensive, as Tyler Boyd, a much more accomplished wide receiver, recently signed a one-year $4.5 million deal with the Tennessee Titans.
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