8 Free Agent Wide Receivers the Jets Could Target

With the wide receiver position being a clear weak point on the Jets roster, they could elect to improve the position in free agency. With the scheme the Jets are expected to run, some of the free agents don't fit the scheme. If they were to trade for Deshaun Watson, the scheme could be changed to fit him. Since that is still a long shot, I assumed that the Jets would run a scheme very similar to the 49ers last year in this article. If you are interested in learning about this scheme, I wrote an article about it in the past. You won't see Kenny Golladay or Corey Davis on this list because they aren't scheme fits.

Image via Pro Football Network // Panthers WR Curtis Samuel

1. Will Fuller

2020 aDOT: 12.5, 2020 YAC per reception: 5.7, career YAC per reception: 4.9, Age: 26

Fuller is extremely fast and was having the best season of his career before missing the final 5 games due to a suspension for using banned substances. According to him, his doctor told him it was allowed, but this ended up not being true. Fuller has been very injury prone throughout his career, but when he was on the field he has been electric. This year, he was on pace for 1,278 yards before his season ended early. If he can stay healthy in the future, he could be a potential top receiver in the league. With his speed, he can also be great for catching short passes and getting YAC. The problem with this is, using him too much could cause him to take more hits than usual, and he has already been injury prone. Surprisingly, he only has 4.9 YAC per reception on his career, but this year he had 5.7 YAC per reception. This is extremely good considering he had a 12.5 aDOT on this year. Considering he was targeted mostly downfield, averaging close to 6 yards after the catch per catch is great. If also used near the line of scrimmage more, his ability after the catch can be showcased. If he can stay on the field, he would be a great fit for the Jets, but that is a big question mark. Because of this, paying him the 4 years and $68 million contract that spotrac suggests likely isn't too smart, but if he would sign for around 4 years and $60 million that could be a risk worth taking for the Jets.

2. Curtis Samuel

2020 aDOT: 7.4, 2020 YAC per reception: 4.3, Career YAC per reception: 3.4, Age: 24

Curtis Samuel could be a swiss army knife for this offense, as he can play both running back and receiver. He could be penciled into the Deebo Samuel role of this offense, but he could also take it to another level with his rushing ability. It is fairly surprising to see he only had 4.3 YAC per reception, especially because he had a well below average aDOT of 7.4. This is well below average, so you would expect him to be above average in YAC per reception, but in reality, he was average in that category. This could be due to the fact that Bridgewater barely threw the ball deep, leaving teams more focused on covering the short game. PFF does have him graded at 77 for 2020, which is less than Godwin who had a 79.7 grade, but well above the 68.2 grade Juju Smith-Schuster received. His ability to run the ball is also very good, as he can be used out of the backfield and also on end arounds and other trick plays. He averaged 4.9 yards per carry in 2020. He could fill the Deebo Samuel perfectly and should be a top priority this offseason. It would certainly be interesting to see the plays we could design for him with a hopefully competent offensive coordinator. Spotrac has his expected contract at 4 years and $50 million, which is a little pricey. But, if the Jets can get him for around 4 years $44 million it would be a great addition in my opinion.

3. Juju Smith Schuster

2020 aDOT: 5.5, 2020 YAC per reception: 4.2, Career YAC per reception: 5.1, 24 years old

Juju did not have a great year this year. He has struggled facing number one cornerbacks dating back to 2019, as he only had 46 yards per game last year, but he was at least good after the catch, with 5.8 YAC per reception. But this year, his yards per game went up to 51.9, but he only had 4.2 YAC per reception. Seeing that he had an aDOT of 5.5, you would like him to have more YAC per reception. But, in 2018 he was a top receiver in the league, with 89.1 yards per game and 1,426 receiving yards. He had 5.6 YAC per reception, which is also very good. But, this was as a number 2 receiver. At this point in his career, he should be considered a good number two receiver with potential. So, since he is only 24 years old, he could be worth taking a shot on, but not for anywhere near the 5 years $80 million spotrac suggests. If he were to take something for around 5 yrs $60 million, he could be worth taking a shot on for the jets.

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4. Kendrick Bourne (slot)

He is around average at YAC, playing mainly out of the slot, he has 4.2 YAC per reception on his career, and 4.5 this past season. He is already familiar with the system, and If the Jets decide to move on from Crowder, pairing Bourne with Berrios to play slot receiver could be ideal.

5. John Ross

According to Football Outsiders, he was ranked 3rd out of all receivers in YAC+ in 2019, which is a stat which is how many more or less YAC a receiver has compared to how many YAC an average receiver would have in that situation. He had 2.3 YAC+, which means he gained an extra 2.3 yards after the catch than the average receiver would. This was behind only AJ Brown and Deebo Samuel. Surprisingly, he wasn’t used at all in 2020 but still has great potential as seen by his 4.22 40 yard dash and YAC+ numbers. He could be a low-risk high reward move that could pay off.

6. Breshad Perriman

Over his career, he hasn’t fared too well at yards after the catch, as he doesn't break many tackles. He had 5.4 YAC per reception this year which is very good, but on his career, he has 4.3 YAC per reception, which is average. But, if he is schemed open underneath or even at or behind the line of scrimmage like Deebo Samuel is he has the speed to take any catch 20+ yards. He showed some of what he showed at the end of the 2019 season with Joe Flacco this year, and if they decide to go with cheaper options to fill out their receivers he should be a top option.

7. Willie Snead

Snead is very fast and is good after the catch. This past season he had 5.9 YAC per reception and on his career, he has 5.1 YAC per reception. Spotrac suggests he could get a contract for two years and $14 million, and this seems reasonable to me. He has been a reliable presence for the Ravens and that would be welcomed in New York to be the 3rd or 4th receiver.

8. Kenny Stills

Stills could be a good backup option to play the Deebo Samuel role in the offense, as he had a 4.38 40 yard dash coming out of college, and he showed flashes in his first two years in the league. This past year, he was barely used, but in 2019 he only had 3.6 YAC per reception. But, if he is schemed open near the line of scrimmage I could see him being pretty good after the catch, and he can possibly even be signed as just a depth piece.