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Joe Douglas has to ignore the noise and not cave . . .
There is an obsession among so many people – fans and reporters – about the Jets adding a star receiver.
Obviously the Jets made a run at Tyreek Hill, but that didn’t seem to have much of a chance of happening.
And now some are flat-out obsessed with the Jets making a run at Seattle’s D.K. Metcalf or Tennessee’s A.J. Brown in a trade. And if you acquired either one, you would in turn have to pay them like the top receivers in football, like Las Vegas’ DeVante Adams or Miami’s Hill, in that $28-30 million-a-year.
So it’s a two-fold proposition – you have to give up a bunch of premium draft picks to acquire the player, and then you have to pay him a king’s ransom, which will have a big impact on your salary cap.
If Douglas wants to do this of his own volition, then go for it, but do not do it because of outside noise pounding the drums about the team’s need for a star receiver to help the young QB.
Because that theory is flawed, and we have discussed this ad infinitum. If a young QB struggles with things like mechanics, footwork and reading defenses, star receivers aren’t a magic wand that will fix all that.
How’d the signing of Allen Robinson help Mitch Trubisky in Chicago?
I will never forget what Santonio Holmes said about why he wasn’t catching more passes with the Jets – “I can’t throw the ball to myself.”
His QB wasn’t great at progression scans.
Look, Zach Wilson is only 22, and has time to improve his mechanics, footwork and field vision. This is a big off-season for him. But when you go out and acquire a big-time receiver, and pay him big money, before your young QB is settled science, it could turn into a major waste of money.
Once you know for sure you have a bonafide answer at QB, it’s fine to make a big move at receiver, but if you do it before, you are perhaps putting the cart before the horse.
This “your team needs another receiver” narrative is a thing all over the NFL.
New Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles was asked by a reporter about his team’s reported need at receiver.
“It’s funny, because there’s a lot of panic, like, ‘You need receivers,’” Poles said. “I think Davante [Adams] was taken in the second, right? So there’s talent there. It’s not always going to be like that, I get it. And we’re going to be patient. If it’s not there, we’re not doing to do it and force it, either.”
Great, freakin, answer.
Poles has a young QB in Justin Fields, who too often is a one-read QB. Before you spend big on a receiver, see if his field vision improves. By the way, Robinson was there last year for Fields. How’d that help the kid?
Once again – here is the deal:
The bottom line is Douglas can’t listen to the outside noise at all on this. If he thinks it’s the right thing to do, go for it, but do not do it to assuage the fans and media.
The Jets did that with Holmes and then Percy Harvin. With Harvin, people were hammering the Jets GM at the time to get a receiver, and he finally caved and made an in-season trade with Minnesota. It made no difference.
Yes, the Jets should add some more receivers in free agency and the draft, but maybe they aren’t at the point, with a young developmental QB, to give up a bunch of high draft picks and then pay a monster salary, to acquire a star wideout.
Because in the NFL, quarterbacks make receivers, receivers don’t make quarterbacks.
Tampa Bay beat the Jets last year when Tom Brady hit a former CFL player Cyril Grayson for the game-winning TD.
April 4, 2022
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