NY Jets lose out on Robby Anderson as he reunites with Matt Rhule

The NY Jets have officially lost out on Robby Anderson after the wide receiver reportedly signed with the Carolina Panthers reuniting him with Matt Rhule.

The NY Jets wanted to bring back Robby Anderson, but only at the right price. It seems as though that price was lower than two years, $20 million because that’s all it took for the speedy wideout to agree to a deal with the Carolina Panthers.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported that Anderson’s deal is worth $20 million and that he will make $12 million in the first season of this front-loaded deal. But the real reason for his departure might have more to do with who his new coach is.

Anderson was reportedly convinced to sign with Carolina because he wanted to reunite with his former college coach, Matt Rhule. Rhule was hired by the Panthers this past offseason and should be a name very familiar to Jets fans.

The former Temple turned Baylor coach was a hot coaching name last offseason with many Jets fans pounding the table for the team to hire him. They ultimately went with Adam Gase who experienced his fair share of mishaps in his first season with the organization.

Rhule, on the other hand, led Baylor to their best season in years and was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year. He parlayed that success into a coaching job with the Panthers and now a contract with his former star wide receiver.

This is sad news for Jets fans who wanted to see Anderson back in green and white after spending four seasons with the team. The 26-year-old has developed into a high-end No. 2 receiver who is much more than just a deep threat.

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He excels working towards the boundary on comebacks and outs and few are more explosive coming off the line of scrimmage. Combine that with his incredible durability over the last few years and you have a very valuable asset to any offense.

The Panthers are lucky to have him on such a team-friendly deal. Meanwhile, the Jets will now search for his replacement.

Perhaps that comes in the form of another speedy deep threat like Breshad Perriman who still remains unsigned. He’s obviously a step down from Anderson, but he could at least provide that same big-play ability.

The 2020 NFL Draft is also ripe with wide receiver talent and the Jets will likely look to take advantage of that. Don’t be surprised to see the team double dip with multiple receivers in the early rounds of the draft.

Robby Anderson will be missed, there is no debating that. The chemistry he had developed with quarterback Sam Darnold isn’t easily replicated.

But it’s hard to blame him for wanting to sign on with a coach he has history with and respects greatly.

It just hurts that in some alternate reality, Rhule is the Jets’ head coach and Anderson’s extension has just been announced.