Getty Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Christian Kirk celebrating after making a huge reception.
One of the most improved positional units in the entire NFL from 2020 to 2021 is the New York Jets wide receiving corps.
They invested in free agency (Corey Davis), the 2021 NFL draft (Elijah Moore), and developed the talent they had on the roster.
The results have been outstanding in 2021 and have inspired hope for the future. Speaking of, the green and white aren’t satisfied with what they have at wideout and the upcoming offseason will be another opportunity to add some more talent to the group.
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Some Sexy Options Will Be Available
When asked how important adding another wideout was this offseason, ESPN’s Rich Cimini said “most definitely they have to add one.”
He then started to speculate what options could make sense for the Jets, Cimini mentioned three veteran wideouts that the team would be “intrigued with” on the Flight Deck podcast:
- Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys
- Christian Kirk, Arizona Cardinals
The one that is the most interesting and under-the-radar is Kirk.
The 25-year-old has been buried on the Cardinals depth chart and despite that has delivered terrific results as a former second-round draft choice.
Kirk has had at least 43 receptions, 590 yards, and three touchdowns in every season he has played.
He doesn’t have great size (5-foot-11, 200 pounds), but just finds a way to make plays and get things done.
Kirk would be a fascinating fit in this offense and with his versatility could provide offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur with a lot of different options.
The other two choices on the list have shown capabilities of being a true No. 1 wide receiver, but Kirk has proven that he can just be a really good football player and there is nothing wrong with that.
Kirk is set to be a free agent this spring and his projected market value (an estimate of what he’ll command on the open market) according to Spotrac is $12.4 million per season on a four-year deal worth $49 million.
That figure would rank 21st among wide receivers in the NFL on a per-year basis.
State of the Union at WR
Davis is going to be entering the second year of a three-year deal. Moore is here to stay long-term. After those two, it is anyone’s guess on who else will be in the rotation in 2022.
Keelan Cole, Jamison Crowder, and Braxton Berrios are all set to become unrestricted free agents this spring. Cimini said “I’m not sure any of those guys will be back” on the latest episode of the Flight Deck podcast.
Although there is another young guy on the team that is polarizing among the fanbase and that’s Denzel Mims.
“I do not think he’ll be back,” Cimini on the former Baylor product via his podcast. “If it was up to the personnel department he would, but I don’t think the coaching staff wants him back. I think ultimately you’ll see him get traded.”
Mims has had an extremely unfortunate second year highlighted by an intense battle with COVID, food poisoning, and overall struggles to get on the football field consistently to make an impact.
If the interest by the other 31 NFL teams in the league at the trade deadline was any indication, the Jets will have plenty of suitors if they make Mims available this offseason.
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Jets Would Be ‘Intrigued’ by Versatile, Under-the-Radar WR in 2022