Joe Douglas might not be finished upgrading his receiving corps.
The Jets are talking to Steelers free agent wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. This comes after New York agreed to sign Corey Davis earlier this week.
Smith-Schuster is one of the best young slot receivers on the market and would be a great addition to the Jets offense under Mike LaFleur. He led the NFL with 81 receptions and nine touchdowns from the slot position, according to Pro Football Focus, with 16 other receptions and 831 total receiving yards in 2020.
It’s not a foregone conclusion Smith-Schuster would want to join the Jets, though. Not only are Steelers still interested in a reunion, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, but Smith-Schuster has also said he’d want to return to Pittsburgh and compete for a championship if he had his choice.
“I don’t know if I can go to a team and they’re not competing,” he told the Fierce Talk program with Ryan Garcia.“They could offer me the most money, but at the end of the day, I’ve just got to see what fits best for me. With that being said, I need a quarterback, I want to compete for the playoffs, I want to win a ring.”
The quarterback issue remains the biggest question mark this offseason for the Jets. Joe Douglas hasn’t decided if he’ll keep Sam Darnold, draft a rookie or trade for a veteran. That unknown will likely weigh on any offensive free agent this offseason, including Smith-Schuster, who played with Darnold in college at USC.
The Jets also have a great slot receiver already on the roster in Jamison Crowder, but Smith-Schuster would be an upgrade because of his age and athleticism. Smith-Schuster is just 24 years old, while Crowder will be 28 by the time the season begins. He’s also produced more receptions, yards and touchdowns than Crowder since 2017 but has only averaged 0.4 more yards per reception over that span.
The Jets could easily keep both if they decide to sign Smith-Schuster, but they could also save $10.375 million if they cut Crowder with just $1 million in dead cap. Crowder proved to be effective and valuable to the Jets in 2020 despite a depleted receiving corps. Crowder also finished with a higher average in yards per route run, yards after the catch per reception and missed tackles forced per reception than Smith-Schuster, according to Jets X-Factor’s Michael Nania.
The Shanahan-style offense the Jets will likely run in 2021 needs as many dangerous pass-catchers as possible. Right now, the Jets have three with the trio of Davis, Crowder and Denzel Mims. Tight end Chris Herndon is still a big question mark and none of the running backs are good receivers. Smith-Schuster is a nice luxury the Jets are at least interested in pursuing. He would give the Jets a bevy of offensive weapons.