New York Jets: 3 Wide receivers to avoid in 2019 free agency

The New York Jets need to find some viable offensive weapons for quarterback Sam Darnold. However, here are three free agent wide receivers to avoid.

All fans of the New York Jets realize that quarterback Sam Darnold needs some offensive weapons, desperately.  With a plethora of salary cap space available this year — $95 million to be exact, per Spotrac — it’s human nature to spend money like you’ve just won the lottery.

General manager Mike Maccagnan must be smart and prudent regarding which free agents he inks to contracts starting next month. There must be excellent value attached to each signing.

With that sound foundation in mind, here are three free agent wide receivers that Gang Green should stand clear of when NFL free agency kicks off next month.

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Golden Tate

What happened to this guy? There was nothing very “golden” about his performance in 2018 after being traded to Philadelphia. I actually thought his trade to the Eagles from the Lions in mid-season would raise his value, but Tate simply did not excel in Philadelphia’s offensive scheme.

The University of Notre Dame product played in seven games for the Lions last year and averaged 73.9 receiving yards per game. However, after he was shipped to Philly, his average slipped to 34.8 per contest. That’s a huge difference. He never clicked with Carson Wentz or Nick Foles.

With that being said, Tate is still a fine slot receiver. He finished with 74 receptions for 795 yards and four touchdowns last season. Not bad. He’s just not a good fit for Gang Green. He’ll probably demand a lot of money and will be 31 years old in August. The Jets already have a solid slot receiver in Quincy Enunwa (as long as he’s healthy). Tate would fit with a definite playoff contender (perhaps the Saints) more than with New York.

Devin Funchess

The 6-4, 230-pounder is still young (24), but he enjoyed just one strong season with the Carolina Panthers during his four-year career. That was in 2017 when he recorded 63 catches for 840 yards and eight touchdowns. His other three seasons were mediocre at best.

While Funchess has impressive size for a wideout, he’s too slow (he owns a 4.70-second time in the 40-yard dash) and the Jets need more speed, not less. While he might be tempting to sign based on his youth and physical prowess, Maccagnan should look elsewhere.

John Brown

Speaking of speed, the Pittsburg State product has plenty of it. However, the Jets would be better served if they re-sign their own speedster, Robby Anderson, who is a restricted free agent. Brown performed much better when Joe Flacco was under center for the Ravens in 2018 (34-601-4) than after Lamar Jackson took over the reins. In fact, Brown caught just eight passes over the last seven games when Jackson was the quarterback.

He’ll be glad to get out of Baltimore but should not be headed to the Big Apple. He’s three years older than Anderson and Maccagnan should focus on inking Anderson to a new contract instead. That would be the prudent thing to do.