The wide receiver position might not be as big a need for the New York Jets after all.
At least that is what ESPN NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler surmised in a recent column.
“When it comes to receiver pay, the Jets have a few guys acquired via trades who might assuage their need to overpay for a receiver in March. John Metchie III and Adonai Mitchell have contributed steadily through the past month. The hope for New York is that one or both can serve as complementary pass catchers to Garrett Wilson and that the Jets will have flexibility with the market — essentially, they wouldn’t have to chase receiver help from a position of vulnerability. Now, that doesn’t mean they won’t potentially add. But New York already has to pay a premium for receivers due to the traditional passing game struggles, and hitting on Mitchell, Metchie, or both would lessen the desperation factor,” Fowler explained.
Inconsistent Results From Jets New Pass Catchers
Depending on when this article was written, Fowler might have had a leg to stand on. However, he picked a poor time to share this perspective.
In Week 14, the Jets had six drops against the Miami Dolphins. Several of those came from the Jets’ newest pass catchers, Metchie and Mitchell.
Again, there have been times this season where it seemed like the green and white really had something cooking.
In Week 13, Mitchell recorded the first 100 receiving yard game and touchdown of his NFL career. However, he came crashing back down to Earth with just one reception for 24 receiving yards on six targets versus Miami.
After back-to-back impressive games where Metchie racked up nine receptions for 110 receiving yards with two touchdowns on 10 targets, he, too, came back to reality.
Over the past two games, Metchie was targeted 16 times but only came down with eight catches for 53 receiving yards and failed to score.
Jets Have Conviction on WR Room Moving Forward
Quite frankly, I’ve reached the opposite conclusion.
Metchie and Mitchell have proven capable of being fine players. Maybe in the right scheme, they could be a WR3 or WR4. Maybe a WR5 but definitely not a potential WR2.
There is nothing wrong with that, but knowing that information can help make sure the Jets make the appropriate decision during the offseason to fill the voids that exist outside of Garrett Wilson.
There is upside with Metchie and Mitchell, but not enough that you can rely on them to not pursue a big-name wide receiver to pair with Wilson if you’re the Jets. If you add a prominent pass catcher next to Wilson and one of the younger players (Metchie or Mitchell) beats said player out during camp, then that’s a great first-world problem to have.
Four games are remaining in the 2025 regular season, and perhaps Metchie and/or Mitchell can change their future roles based on how they perform.
However, at this point, the pair has simply not done enough to command a higher spot on the depth chart heading into 2026.
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