Getty Tennessee Titans wide receiver Treylon Burks reacting in the middle of a practice.
The New York Jets could get creative to find additional help at the wide receiver position.
NFL analyst Cam Marino said he has seen the green and white “connected to trade rumors at the WR position. I’m thinking Treylon Burks is in contention here.”
Seeing the Jets connected to trade rumors at the WR position. I’m thinking Treylon Burks is in contention here.
Burks was the No. 18 overall pick in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. The Tennessee Titans acquired that selection by trading away AJ Brown in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Jets Would Be Throwing a Dart in Potential Burks Acquisition
The former Arkansas product has been underwhelming, to put it mildly through his first two NFL seasons.
Burks has only registered 49 receptions for 665 receiving yards and has caught just one touchdown. Burks is buried on the depth chart with all of the additions at wide receiver for the Titans.
Tennessee signed Calvin Ridley to a four-year deal for $92 million this offseason. Last offseason they inked veteran DeAndre Hopkins to a two-year deal for $26 million.
Burks has two years left on his $14.3 million rookie contract. An acquiring team would get the youngster at an incredible discount. He is owed $2 million in cash this year and $2.6 million in 2025.
Not only is his contract cheap but the price to acquire him via trade would also likely be for next to nothing. He hasn’t produced at the NFL level and he has struggled to stay on the field only appearing in 22 out of 34 possible games.
The only reason the Jets would and should be interested is if the offensive coaching staff believes they can tap into the untapped potential of this talented 23-year-old.
Jets Were in on Burks Ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft
The green and white used one of its top 30 visits on Burks during the pre-draft process in 2022.
Treylon Burks at the #Jets facility for a visit
While he hasn’t produced at the NFL level, he sure did in college.
Burks played three years at Arkansas and totaled over 2,621 yards from scrimmage. His main contributions came as a receiver but they also creatively gave him touches as a runner in that offense.
At the NFL Combine, he was measured in at 6-foot-2 and weighed in at 225 pounds.
.@ConnorJRogers mocked @RazorbackFB WR Treylon Burks (@TreylonBurks) to the #Jets in his @BleacherReport LIVE mock saying, ‘I think you use your premium draft assets to entirely help out Zach Wilson on offense’: #TakeFlight #NFLDraft #NFL
Connor Rogers formerly of Bleacher Report had Burks as his first wide receiver off the board in a mock draft scenario that offseason.
“He’s got gigantic hands that can catch everything. [Burks’] hands are in the 93rd percentile. This guy is simply built different. You see it on the jet sweep, you see his ability as a runner, he’s excellent in every phase of the catch. He is a contested catch monster, he can catch the ball in traffic, he can win one-on-one on the outside. They use him in the slot and they even use him as an H-Back,” Rogers explained.
.@ConnorJRogers mocked @RazorbackFB WR Treylon Burks (@TreylonBurks) to the #Jets in his @brgridiron LIVE mock. He was the 1st WR off the board + says everybody will get on board w/ that after #NFLCombine + ‘catches everything’: #TakeFlight #NFLDraft #NFL
Rogers was super high on Burks and he thought everyone else would jump on the bandwagon after he tested in at the NFL Combine.
“You’re talking about legitimate vertical deep speed. He is a menace with the ball in his hands [and] he is a menace without the ball in his hands,” Rogers said.
If the Jets were as high on him pre-draft as it seems they were, this could be a unique opportunity to add a talented youngster at a discount. If the dart throw works, the Jets just stole a young piece of clay for their offense. However if it doesn’t work then they can simply move on without it costing them much of anything.