New York Jets: 6 Free agents team should prioritize re-signing in 2019

Robby Anderson

How they deal with Anderson will be a true test of what they think of the team moving forward. In the final leg of the season, it appeared that he and Darnold had a connection and things were clicking. However, early on, things were not as smooth.

A lot of factors went into Anderson’s lack of success early on. First was an offensive coordinator who clearly was apprehensive about opening the playbook up for a rookie quarterback. Second, in turn, was the rookie quarterback learning and being indecisive about his reads at times.

After Darnold got hurt and missed three games, he came back more decisive and seemed more comfortable. After that, he developed a rapport with Anderson similar to the one Josh McCown had last season. In three of the final four games, Anderson had over 75 yards receiving (including one over 100) and one touchdown. (The final game against New England was a terrible game all around, and he recorded on three catches for 24 yards.)

With Anderson, though, he’s a restricted free agent, which means the Jets don’t have to re-sign him outright to retain him. The Jets are kind of in a win-win situation with Anderson. They can tender him, and then, match any offer sheet he’s given. They would also receive a draft pick in return, if they elect not to match. The tender amount would be for one season, with him becoming a free agent after next season. If they do tender him and no one picks him up, the Jets would get another one-year deal with Anderson to see if the end of this season wasn’t a fluke.