Another wide receiver came off the board on Monday, making the list shrink a little more with a week to go before NFL free agency opens.
The Buccaneers and veteran Mike Evans agreed to a reported two-year, $52 million contract on Monday that will keep him off the free-agent market.
He is the latest wide receiver to be taken off the list and he might not be the last.
The Bengals used the franchise tag on Tee Higgins and the Colts are expected to place the tag on Michael Pittman Jr. before Tuesday’s deadline if they are unable to reach a long-term deal.
Where does this leave the Jets with the free-agent negotiating window opening at noon next Monday?
It is not an ideal situation for a team that is looking for a strong complement to young star Garrett Wilson.
If Pittman gets tagged, as expected, that would leave Calvin Ridley as the top receiver expected to hit free agency.
The Jaguars are not expected to re-sign Ridley before free agency opens because if they do the third-round pick they owe the Falcons from their trade becomes a second-round pick.
It makes sense for Jacksonville to wait even if it opens the door for teams like the Jets.
The question for the Jets is how high to go in the bidding for Ridley, who had 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns last season.
He is a good receiver that has had off-field issues and was suspended for the 2022 season for gambling. But prices are exploding on the receiver market.
There was some surprise Monday that Evans got $26 million per season. Pittman is expected to get more than $20 million per season once a deal gets done with the Colts.
Is it wise for the Jets to invest at the top end of the market or would it be smarter for them to throw that money at the offensive line and sign cheaper wide receivers or draft one in the third round?
After Ridley, there is a drop-off in the market. The next group of receivers is Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, Gabe Davis, Darnell Mooney, Tyler Boyd and Odell Beckham Jr.
These players should be in the $10 million-$15 million per year range, which may be more palatable for the Jets.
Joe Douglas got stung in the wide receiver market last season when he overpaid for Allen Lazard.
He gave Lazard a four-year, $44 million contract and Lazard ended up catching 23 passes, just one for a touchdown and was inactive for three games late in the season.
You wonder if that will be in the back of Douglas’ mind before he wades too deep into the wide receiver market.
If you are looking for connections, Brown played for new Jets wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson in 2022 with the Cardinals. Jefferson’s opinion of Brown should strongly shape the Jets’ approach to him.
The Jets went after Beckham last April at the request of Aaron Rodgers.
They thought they were going to sign him until the Ravens came in with a $16 million offer that shocked the Jets. Could they revisit Beckham?
It is unlikely that Rodgers’ opinion of Beckham has changed. But Beckham had a down season with the Ravens. He had 35 catches for 565 yards and three touchdowns.
Douglas could choose to add a cheaper option in free agency and then try to land a No. 2 wide receiver in the draft. This year’s receiver class is considered deep by draft experts.
The Jets are expected to target a tackle with their first-round pick and currently do not have a second-rounder but could draft a receiver in the third round.
There is also the possibility of a surprise trade developing.
Davante Adams is not expected be moved by the Raiders after earlier speculation that he would be traded. But the wide receiver market can be tough to predict. No one expected the Chiefs to trade Tyreek Hill two years ago until it happened.
The wide receiver road will be an interesting one for Douglas to navigate over the coming weeks and it surely will feature plenty more twists and turns.
