It turns out that Aaron Rodgers isn’t the only Jet willing to share his ideas on which players general manager Joe Douglas should target to bolster the roster.
Two-time All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner is taking a page from his friend Rodgers’ playbook and would like to see the Jets upgrade their receiving corps in free agency.
In response to a request made by a fan-run account on X for its 28,200 followers to “Name a Free Agent no one is talking about that the Jets should sign,” Gardner responded with “Calvin Ridley & Tee” Higgins.
No Jets fans would argue with those moves because the team enters the offseason with a big need at receiver.
Garrett Wilson led the team with 95 catches for 1,042 yards and the next-highest receiver totals – excluding tight ends and running backs – belonged to Allen Lazard with 23 for 311, respectively.
Lazard is entering the second year of a four-year, $44 million contract and should be better next year with his former Packers teammate, Rodgers, throwing him the ball.
But Ridley (76 catches for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns for the Jaguars) and Higgins (42 catches for 656 yards and five touchdowns in an injury-shortened 11-game season) both will command bigger contracts than Lazard if they escape the possibility of a franchise tag and reach free agency.
Higgins is projected for a four-year, $74 million deal and Ridley for a four-year, $68.2 million deal by sporac.com.
Gardner played against Higgins as a rookie but has not played against Ridley.