Jets Might Bolster Receiver Depth By Signing Ex-49ers, LSU 24-Year-Old Talent

The wideout with untapped potential remains available in free agency

Jan 5, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of a San Francisco 49ers helmet at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The New York Jets have made a lot of shrewd moves in free agency, but they remain dangerously thin at wide receiver.

Beyond WR Garrett Wilson, the Jets don’t have much. Veteran wideout Allen Lazard is surprisingly still on the roster, but it’s been assumed he’ll be heading out of town at some point before next season.

This all makes the Jets prime candidates to draft a wide receiver in the upcoming NFL draft, but they should also keep shopping on the free agent market for wideouts given their various other positional needs in the draft.

The Athletic’s Zach Rosenblatt recently wondered which of the remaining free agent receivers Gang Green might target in the coming days.

“The biggest shocker of free agency for the Jets so far might be that Lazard remains on the roster — and until further notice is their best option as the No. 2 wide receiver,” Rosenblatt wrote.

“There are plenty of productive and talented veteran wideouts still available in free agency … but the Jets don’t appear interested in adding anyone over 30. The under-30 free-agent options aren’t especially appealing — Devin Duvernay, Elijah Moore, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Terrace Marshall among them — so the more likely outcome is that the Jets are waiting to see what they can add in the NFL Draft before making a decision on Lazard.”

Duvernay has signed with the Chicago Bears and Humphrey has signed with the New York Giants, so they’re both off the board.

But Marshall remains one of the intriguing under-30 options for the Jets at wideout.

Marshall was selected at No. 59 overall by the Carolina Panthers in the 2021 NFL draft and played with the Panthers from 2021 to 2023. He spent time with the San Francisco 49ers and Las Vegas Raiders in 2024.

Marshall has tallied 64 receptions and 767 receiving yards to go along with one receiving touchdown in his career thus far. He still hasn’t broken through since entering the NFL, but perhaps his potential could be unlocked in New York. He was a big-time talent at LSU, so the athleticism and skills are there.

Marshall is also in the age range that Jets GM Darren Mougey has been targeting, and he won’t likely demand a ton of money on the market. 

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