It was a tumultuous year two for New York Jets wide receiver Elijah Moore.
After the Jets beat the Green Bay Packers, the dynamic playmaker got into a reported screaming match with former offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur at practice. He was later sent home to clear his head, but it backfired when Moore requested a trade later that night.
Eventually, cooler heads prevailed, but the 2021 second-round pick did not come out of the debacle unscathed. The fanbase was furious with him for his public complaints — and eventual trade request — during a winning streak, and many began to view the unquestioned talent as an unnecessary distraction.
Today on February 9, Moore took to Twitter to seemingly give fans a small taste of his side of the story. He voiced: “People don’t care about getting to know u…or what actually happened or what goes down…most times they don’t know EXACTLY what transpired …what u hear is not always what IT is. THEY just gunna go off what they ‘heard’ and not what actually happened.”
Can Jets WR Elijah Moore Rebound After Becoming a Polarizing Figure?
For some strange reason, the Jets can’t ever seem to draft a wide receiver that doesn’t turn into a polarizing figure at some point. Garrett Wilson: please be advised.
Having said that, Moore still has his fair share of supporters within the fanbase and after LaFleur got fired this winter, more and more information has leaked out regarding what really went down between him and his OC.
For example, The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt told readers that “Moore surprised teammates and coaches by blowing up on LaFleur [that day at practice], telling him to ‘go f— yourself’ and ‘you suck,’ according to multiple people who witnessed the interaction.”
ESPN’s Rich Cimini added that “some in the organization believe [Zach] Wilson’s struggles and LaFleur’s play-calling were the reasons behind wide receiver Elijah Moore’s oddly timed trade request in late October” during an article on February 8.
Cimini continued, revealing: “Sources said Moore didn’t want to throw [Zach] Wilson under the bus by citing him as the reason, but his frustration seeped out when asked about their chemistry.”
Within that same article, the ESPN beat reporter claimed that LaFleur and assistant general manager Rex Hogan were the driving forces behind the Zach Wilson draft pick at No. 2 overall.
Now, let’s not forget Moore’s recent warning. Don’t believe everything you hear! — Although it would be nice to have the wide receiver tell his side of the story in full.
Was he ever angry with Zach Wilson? Or was it just a LaFleur problem, which some fans might sympathize with in hindsight?
After all, LaFleur appeared to be fired in part due to his inability to connect with younger players. He had known issues with Moore, Denzel Mims and Mekhi Becton, as well as subtle underlying friction with Zach Wilson, Garrett Wilson and Tyler Conklin based on reports and remarks — the latter two were critical of the offensive game plan and mentality down the stretch.
If all of this occurred under LaFleur’s watch and he was eventually let go, who’s to say Moore was the problem? He has to learn to keep the drama and the complaints in house, no doubt, but perhaps 2023 is his chance to make amends under a new offensive coordinator who is known for his personable relationship with his players.
Jets Fans React to Elijah Moore Tweet
If you’re wondering how fans reacted to Moore’s most recent statement on February 9, here were some of the top comments.
One fan wrote: “You’re a big part of this Jets team! People will hate, don’t listen to the haters. Chin up and prove the haters wrong sir!!! Chin up. 🙏🙏🙏”
“You cannot change the past or what people think. Let it go,” another advised. “You control your future. Let your work and results speak.”
“Sadly so,” a third replied. “I think social media helps to facilitate it as well…. everyone’s always more inclined to have an instant hot take… knee jerk response… breaking commentary … it’s all conjecture though bro .. no real journalism, everyone’s a blogger today.”
“Starting to think that the issue was LaFleur…” A fourth stated, while a fifth said “tell us and stop complaining.”
One final response simply suggested: “Get off twitter dawg.”
Overall, the tweet has 275 likes and counting and while reading through the reactions, most were surprisingly supportive considering Moore’s standing on Twitter a few months ago. Maybe things are trending upward for the wideout, but he has to keep his focus on football.
In terms of all the other stuff, no news is good news.
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