The New York Jets desperately have to add more weapons for new QB Justin Fields.
Former NFL quarterback turned analyst Kurt Benkert listed the Jets as a top landing spot for Buffalo Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper.
“I see the Jets as a potential landing spot for Amari Cooper,” Benkert explained via Bleacher Report. “I put the New York Jets on this list because Davante Adams is gone, Allen Lazard is their No. 2 receiver, and their No. 1 wide receiver, Garrett Wilson, did not thrive when he was the only true vertical receiver in their offense.”
Cooper just finished the last year of his $100 million contract that he originally signed with the Dallas Cowboys. Over the last five years he spent time with the Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, and most recently with the Bills.
Wilson Needs a Running Mate on the Jets to Thrive
“Before Davante Adams got there, Garrett Wilson was kind of struggling because he was getting all of the attention by CB1s [the top cornerbacks for opposing teams] and he wasn’t popping off popping off. Garrett Wilson started playing better when Adams entered the picture. It started taking eyeballs and coverage away from him,” Benkert said.
The numbers back up what Benkert explained.
Through the first six games of the season, Wilson had 67 targets, 41 receptions, 399 receiving yards, three touchdowns, and he averaged 10.05 yards per catch.
Wilson finished with fewer than 61 receiving yards in four of those six games.
In the final 11 games of the year, after the Jets acquired Adams, the numbers appear much different. Wilson was targeted 87 times, caught 60 passes, had 705 receiving yards, with four touchdowns, and he averaged 11.99 yards per reception.
“I think he [Cooper] can be of assistance for a guy like Garrett Wilson, who, let’s just say it, the Jets don’t have a whole lot of firepower on offense. If they just have Wilson as their only true, like explosive receiver of any sort, I think they are going to have a hard time when teams just go and double Garrett Wilson,” Benkert explained. “I really really think if the Jets want to have a chance this year at all in their division [they] need to bring somebody that is able … Someone like Amari Cooper at least for this year can go bolster them up a bit, bring them a bit more value, and kind of get them going.”
Cooper Would Bring Some Credentials to the Room
The former Alabama product remains a free agent weeks before the 2025 NFL draft. Cooper, 30, is a five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver who has been getting it done for a long time.
He entered the league as the No. 4 overall pick in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft. Cooper has appeared in 154 games and has made 143 starts. During that stretch, Cooper has hauled in 711 receptions for 10,033 receiving yards and has scored 64 touchdowns.
Pro Football Focus originally projected him to sign a two-year deal for $30 million with $25 million of that guaranteed. That $15 million annual salary would place Cooper at No. 22 among the highest-paid receivers in football, per Over The Cap.
However, the veteran receiver market hasn’t developed as much as many thought it would. So, in other words, Cooper could come at an even cheaper price than that with the big moves of free agency over.
The Jets need a viable No. 2 receiver, and Cooper has the credentials to fill that position in 2025.
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