Three veteran wide receivers the Jets could target in a trade are unhappy with their current contracts and are not expected to participate in on-field work during their respective teams’ offseason workouts, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The players in question are the Titans’ A.J. Brown, the 49ers’ Deebo Samuel and the Commanders’ Terry McLaurin. Schefter added that McLaurin is expected to attend the beginning of the Commanders’ offseason program, but it’s unclear if Brown or Samuel will attend their respective teams’ programs.
This is a huge development considering the Jets’ obvious interest in adding a young, star receiver. New York already missed out on Calvin Ridley, Amari Cooper and Tyreek Hill, and it sounds like D.K. Metcalf isn’t available. The Titans, 49ers and Commanders haven’t publically said they’re open to trading any of the three wideouts, but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t listen.
Brown and Samuel would be ideal fits on the Jets if Joe Douglas can pull off a trade and ink either to a new contract. Brown played at Ole Miss with Elijah Moore and has the right skillset for Mike LaFleur’s offense, while Samuel played in a similar offense in San Francisco and is similar to Hill. McLaurin is also a fantastic option, though he’s more of an outside threat than a yards-after-the-catch receiver.
There are numerous trade packages the Jets could offer for a star receiver, but they’ll need to find a partner in another team in order to pull off the deal. With less than a month before the draft, the clock is ticking on Douglas’ opportunity to upgrade the Jets’ offense.