The New York Jets have been targeting young players in free agency, but maybe they could make an exception for a veteran wide receiver.
New York is ultra-thin at the position right now beyond Garrett Wilson (unless Allen Lazard surprisingly stays), and free agent options aren’t amazing.
The Jets could take an impact receiver in the draft (Tetairoa McMillan at No. 7 overall?), but doing so with a first- or second-round pick would prevent New York from addressing other positional needs with a potentially more important player.
Regardless of what they do in the draft at wideout, the Jets should add at least one more receiver in free agency. Should they take a chance on a cheap deal for someone young and untapped like Terrace Marshall Jr.? Perhaps.
Another interesting name on the market — albeit a veteran player — is free agent WR Tyler Lockett of the Seattle Seahawks.
The 32-year-old Lockett is projected by Spotrac to land a one-year, $7.7 million deal — not crazy expensive for a team like the Jets looking to stay relatively frugal.
Again, Lockett is older than what GM Darren Mougey is looking for, but it could be nice to have a veteran presence in the wide receiver room alongside the 24-year-old superstar Wilson.
Lockett’s resume speaks for itself. He’s a former Pro Bowler (2015) who’s tallied 661 receptions for 8,594 yards and 61 receiving touchdowns in his career. He’s also been a successful kick returner throughout his career, accruing 4,266 yards returning and three return touchdowns along with being the NFL kickoff return yards leader in 2017.
Lockett’s past the age of returning kicks at this point, but his knowledge of special teams could be another valuable asset in New York’s locker room along with his ability to still catch passes.
If the Jets were going to go after Lockett, they probably would have done so by now, but we’ll see what happens in the next week or so.
Lockett is bound to get picked up by someone very soon, and there’s no reason to believe he can’t have a productive 2025.
