The Jets were neither buyers nor sellers at the trade deadline. As for the former, it wasn’t for lack of trying.
Via Brian Costello of the New York Post, the Jets attempted to trade for Raiders receiver Davante Adams and Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans.
According to the report, the Jets “repeatedly” inquired about both players. They were consistently rejected.
Costello added that the Raiders were willing to discuss a possible trade for receiver Hunter Renfrow. However, the Jets wanted an outside weapon, not a slot receiver.
The Buccaneers are currently contenders for the NFC South; That would explain their reluctance to trade Evans. As for the Raiders, they may have decided to finish the year with Adams and trade him in the offseason, when perhaps more teams would be involved and the compensation would be higher.
In such situations there is always an interesting question that goes beyond “what”. It’s the “why.” Why did the Jets leak this?
The most obvious explanation is that they felt compelled to appease quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who justified his decision to forgo $33.8 million in compensation in 2023 and 2024 on the grounds that it would give the team more flexibility in attracting experienced talent. If they didn’t try to do this via the trade market, why did Rodgers take such a big pay cut?