Another Potential New York Jets Option Signs Deal Elsewhere

With the New York Jets still looking for additions, one player they could have used to bolster their tight end room has signed with a different team.

Dec 31, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears tight end Robert Tonyan (18) / Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Jets had their schedule revealed on Wednesday along with every other team in the NFL.

Jets fans and football fans everywhere will get a healthy dose of Aaron Rodgers and this team as they have an unprecedented amount of primetime games on the schedule.

With elite matchups littered across the calendar, the front office is still searching for ways to give this roster every chance of meeting the high expectations that have been placed on them from inside and outside the organization.

Ahead of the NFL draft, the conversation centered around New York taking a high-priority weapon with their first round pick that mainly linked elite tight end prospect Brock Bowers to Gang Green.

Instead, they boosted their offensive line unit by taking Olu Fashanu before adding a wide receiver in Malachi Corley with their third round selection.

With that being the result of the draft, there was some speculation general manager Joe Douglas would try and add to the tight end room in the late stages of free agency to have another option behind starter Tyler Conklin.

Rodgers' ex-teammate Robert Tonyan was seen as a perfect fit after he had become a feature target of the signal caller during their time together with the Green Bay Packers starting in 2020. In those three years, the tight end caught 123 balls for 1,260 yards and 15 touchdowns in largely a reserve role.

But, just like what happened with Marquez Valdes-Scantling, that option is no longer on the table for the Jets as Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Tonyan signed a deal with the Minnesota Vikings.

These two signings are certainly telling about how Douglas views this roster.

Despite some concerns about how the offensive weapons might fare over the course of the long season, the front office doesn't seem to have urgency right now to add players to their roster.

Maybe more moves are coming later on in the offseason, but right now, two players with familiarity of the offense and Rodgers, who could have been added on cheap deals, decided to sign elsewhere.