Unsurprisingly, the Jets are taking a look at Robert Saleh and Mike LaFleur’s former players.
The Jets have looked into a couple of San Francisco 49ers in the lead-up to free agency, according to The Athletic’s Connor Hughes, including wide receiver Kendrick Bourne and cornerback K’Waun Williams. Both would fill positions of need for the Jets, though their price would dictate whether or not Joe Douglas signs them, per Hughes.
Bourne is an underrated receiver who caught 49 receptions for 667 yards and two touchdowns last season. He’s never been the go-to option in San Francisco with players like Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Emmanuel Sanders ahead of him on the depth chart, but the 6-foot-1 receiver has caught 10 of his 11 touchdowns since 2017 in the red zone. He’s a great fit in the Kyle Shanahan-style offense as a possession or red zone target.
The Jets are clearly looking at signing receiver support for their offense. In addition to Bourne, the Jets are reportedly interested in JuJu Smith-Schuster and Will Fuller.
Williams was an unheralded member of Saleh’s secondary when both joined the 49ers in 2017. Williams broke out in 2019 with two interceptions, four forced fumbles, 51 combined tackles and one sack. He missed half of last year with a knee injury but still tallied two sacks, a forced fumble and four defended passes. Williams would likely be a replacement for Brian Poole if the Jets either don’t believe he’s a good fit for their new defense or if he is too expensive in free agency.
The Jets should absolutely sign as many Saleh players as possible to speed up the transition period for the rest of the roster. As with everything, though, it’s all a matter of cost. The Jets have around $68 million in cap space heading into free agency and very easily could be one of the biggest spenders of the offseason.