Jets Sign Last Rookie to $6 Million Deal Ahead of Camp

Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief.

The New York Jets finally inked wide receiver Malachi Corley to his rookie contract on Wednesday, July 17. NFL Insider Aaron Wilson was the first to share the news on social media.

It’s a four-year deal for $6.07 million and it includes a $1.23 million signing bonus.

Jets reporter Nick Faria of Athlon Sports and the Pro Football Network said on X previously Twitter, “Everyone can relax about the Corley situation now.”

The Jets Have One Less Storyline Ahead of Training Camp

With the recent alterations to the NFL’s CBA, rookie holdouts and issues have all but been eliminated.

The contracts are now slotted to your draft position. If you were selected at this spot, in this round, then you make an insert amount of money.

So long story short, there isn’t a lot to negotiate debate between player/representation and organization.

It can raise eyebrows when deals don’t get done and things linger heading into training camp. The Jets made sure they took care of business to avoid those headlines.

Rookies for the green and white are scheduled to report on Thursday, July 18. The rest of the team reports on Tuesday, July 23 and the first practice is on Wednesday, July 24.

The entire rookie class for the Jets is now under contract ahead of camp.

Corley Is Going to Have to Make Some Noise in Camp

The Jets loved the former Western Kentucky so much that they attempted to trade up to snag him in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft.

Gang Green was unable to move up as high as they wanted, but it still worked out because they traded up to the first pick of the third round.

Corley in college was predominatly a slot player. According to Dane Brugler in “The Beast”, he lined up in the slot 91.6% of the time in the Hilltoppers’ offense.

With the Jets, Corley is in competition with second-year wideout Xavier Gipson for the starting slot job.

Gipson was an undrafted free agent last year and Corley was a third-rounder in April’s draft.

The Jets have high hopes for Corley and his future. However, head coach Robert Saleh said a few months ago that he is “raw” as a route runner. That could lead to some bumpy moments early on and open the door for Gipson to instead take the early reps.

Corley though will have an impact on the offense with his versatility and playmaking ability.

In college, Corley finished with 3,127 scrimmage yards, scored 29 total touchdowns, and recorded 259 receptions.

Although the most impressive trait of Corley’s is his yards after the catch ability. He earned the moniker “YAC King” for what he can do once the football gets into his hands.

Corley looked fine throughout the spring, but he wasn’t among the true players that stood out. One of the reasons for that is because players aren’t in pads.

That conversation will change in training camp. If Corley lives up to his hype from college, then he should be one of the top standouts in camp.