The New York Jets have spent much of the past few years searching for ways to improve their offense, particularly at wide receiver. While the Jets have one of the top receivers in football in Garrett Wilson, the need for a secondary star is something they need to figure out.
Doing so in free agency could be a decent idea. Patrick McAvoy believes the Jets could be a landing spot for veteran wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who isn’t what he once was but would be an intriguing option.
Samuel has had an up-and-down past few years. During his time with the San Francisco 49ers, he was elite as a pass catcher and running back. That hybrid skill made him a tough cover for defenses and a centerpiece of San Francisco’s offense.
Even though injuries have hurt his play in recent seasons, Samuel has been productive when healthy. His ability to make plays is something the Jets should want.
McAvoy wrote about why a potential pairing between Samuel and the Jets would make sense as the team looks to add another established weapon to its offense.
“This is fairly straightforward. Samuel is just 30 years old and is one of the better receivers available right now in free agency. There's no doubt that he would immediately be the Jets' No. 2 receiver if New York could get a deal done. In 2025, he had 72 catches for 727 yards and five touchdowns,” he wrote.
While I love the idea of the Jets going out to get a WR, there also isn’t much of a need to do so if they don’t go out and get a quarterback. That doesn’t mean that the Jets should reach for a QB or do something out of the blue to get Samuel.
Geno Smith isn’t that guy to me.
His ability to take handoffs, succeed in motions, and contribute in multiple ways would give the coaching staff flexibility in how they design game plans. We all know the Jets need some more creativity heading into next season.
Samuel might not have too big a market, so it’ll be something to watch out for.