Could the New York Jets enter the Brandon Aiyuk sweepstakes?
The New York Jets seem comfortable with their roster heading into the 2024 season, but could Joe Douglas make one more move to improve the team’s offense?
On Tuesday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported that San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has requested a trade. Since the report, some insiders have already begun linking Aiyuk to the Jets. Dan Graziano, an NFL insider at ESPN, has listed the Jets as one of the five best trade fits for Aiyuk.
“A pairing of Aiyuk and Wilson — along with young star running back Breece Hall — would give Rodgers as formidable a group of skill-position players as any in the league and would ease the team’s reliance on free agent signee Mike Williams to stay healthy,” Graziano writes. “New York’s 1,696 receiving yards from the WR room ranked 31st in the NFL last season.”
Alongside the Jets, Graziano listed the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Chargers, and Washington Commanders as potential fits for Aiyuk.
Aiyuk finished 2023 with the seventh-most receiving yards (1,342) and the 18th-most receiving touchdowns (seven) despite ranking 36th in targets (105). Aiyuk also ranked 10th on ESPN’s wide receiver rankings, which were based on surveys of over 80 league executives, coaches, and scouts.
Any move for Aiyuk would require some severe salary cap management from the Jets, along with a substantial trade package. However, if the Jets were to add Aiyuk, he would be paired with star receiver Garrett Wilson, which could create one of the most deadly receiving duos in all of football.
Adding Aiyuk would give opposing defenses nightmares about where Aaron Rodgers could throw the football. With Wilson, Aiyuk, and Mike Williams headlining the receiver room and Breece Hall coming out of the backfield, Rodgers will always have somewhere to go with the ball.
Trading for Aiyuk would create a Super Bowl-caliber offense in New York.
