The New York Jets are towards the top of the league in cap space this offseason, and with a defense heavy draft in April, it makes sense for the Jets to try and tackle one of the their biggest weaknesses in free agency. That being their desperate need for playable wide receivers.
Beyond Garrett Wilson the Jets are left with Adonai Mitchell and John Metchie as their next best two. Neither of them has put together anything close to a consistent stretch of games in their NFL career. They are more useful as depth or rotational players at best.
So where could they turn in free agency as they look to add any kind of complementary pieces that could help whoever comes in at QB?
Ideal Fits
Wan’Dale Robinson – If the Jets are looking to add a slot receiver this offseason, they’re going to be hard pressed to find a better one that Robinson. The former Giants WR is just 25 years old and is coming off his first 1,000 yard season. Those numbers were inflated by the injury to Malik Nabers and lack of other options in the passing game. However, there were other encouraging signs. For example, his yards per reception took a major jump this season from an 8.2 career average to 11 this season. This was also a second straight season with over 90 receptions, and he did play with Nabers in 2024 as well. Expecting Robinson to be a bona fide WR2 next year should not be the plan, but he has demonstrated he can be a high end slot option when given the opportunity.
Alec Pierce – Pierce is the NFL’s best deep threat. He has led the NFL in yards per reception in back to back seasons, and 2025 was the best of his career. He’ll be 26 years old next year and just entering his prime. He’s become a legitimate WR2 over the last two seasons with 824 yards in 2024 and over 1000 in 2025. There’s already been talk about the Colts potentially using their franchise tag on Pierce and paying him the near $30 million price tag that would accompany it. That’s an insane number for Pierce, but if he does hit the open market the Jets should check in, as they’re desperate for any kind of big play potential.
It depends on the price
Jauan Jennings – Jennings is a tough WR who’s known for stepping up when others aren’t available. He took over when the 49ers were dealt massive injury blows each of the last two seasons. But he’s never been a consistent performer. Jennings has topped 700 yards just once, in 2024, and 500 yards just twice, 2024 and 2025. At 28 years old, it’s hard to say that he deserves a larger long term pay day. If the price here is reasonable, something like three years at $30 million with $15 million guaranteed, he’s probably worth the gamble as a stabilizing force for a team that doesn’t have any legitimate options. Any more though, and you’re just overpaying for a guy who at his age is more likely to decline than provide unseen upside.
Rashid Shaheed – This one more or less depends on what your thoughts on Isaiah Williams are. Shaheed is a playable third wide receiver who provides elite special teams value. Depending on the price that’s a valuable player. However, the Jets may already have an elite returner in Isaiah Williams who was named team MVP last year. So, you’d need to think Shaheed was enough of an upgrade as a receiver that he’d be worth the near 10x price tag, and that’s at a reasonable price. For that reason this one doesn’t seem as likely as most of the other names, but Shaheed’s big play ability may be tempting enough for the Jets to consider it.
Romeo Doubs – The young Packers WR is an often mentioned name among Jets fans. I’m not as big of a fan. Doubs is a fine WR, he’s hovered around 600-725 yards each of the last three seasons for Green Bay. His 2025 season was the best of his career at 724 yards and 13.2 yards per reception. My big concern here is his price tag. At a reasonable number for a third option on an offense sure, Doubs could make plenty of sense. The issue is that young WRs with perceived upside tend to sign for significantly more than they’re worth on the open market. And if Doubs is getting offers in the $15+ million per year range, he’s simply not going to be worth that price. You’re looking at a contract you’ll be hoping to escape from within a year or two. IF he’s closer to his true value of $10-13 million a year, then sure, I’m all for considering it, but there’s a big difference between a potential three year $33 million contract and a four year $60 million plus one.
Avoid at all costs
George Pickens – Look, I get how good Pickens is. The talent is that of a WR1, and there were points this year he looked better than CeeDee Lamb, a consensus top-10 WR in the league who’s often in talks about the top-5. However, he’s a massive head case with off the field problems that have caused one team to already give up on him. The Cowboys are reportedly going to tag Pickens, so this likely won’t be an issue for the Jets. But the Jets simply don’t have the infrastructure to get the most out of a player like Pickens right now. He’s the guy you bring in when everything is already stable and you believe you can get him on track, not when you’re in the process of trying to build your own culture.
The Old, Declining WRs – I could list these guys individually, but I figured it’d be best to just lump them together. Tyreek Hill, Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel and more are just not great fits for the Jets. A good team looking for one guy to help get them over the top by filling in for a year or two works great for these guys, but the Jets aren’t there. Bringing in a guy like this would be exceedingly expensive and provide no real value for a team that is closer to picking 1st than 32nd in 2027.