NY Jets: Wide receiver Josh Doctson opts-out of the 2020 season

NY Jets’ wide receiver Josh Doctson has officially decided to opt-out of the 2020 NFL season.

The NY Jets have had the third member of their roster opt-out right at the 4 p.m. deadline as wide receiver Josh Doctson was officially placed on the Reserve/Opt-Out list.

Doctson joins the likes of star linebacker C.J. Mosley and backup offensive lineman Leo Koloamatangi as Jets players who have opted-out of the 2020 season.

But now that the deadline has passed, it’s expected that those are the only three players who will make that decision. Players technically can still opt-out past the deadline, but the team will have the option of terminating their contract as a result.

For expendable players like Doctson, this was likely their final realistic chance at opting-out.

Doctson will receive either a $150k or $350k stipend depending on whether he is classified as high-risk or not. And his contract will now toll over to next year meaning that he’s technically under contract through 2021.

But given the fact that Doctson’s contract has no guaranteed money, the Jets could cut him at any point without a penalty. Meaning that his Jets career, and perhaps his NFL career, could be over.

What will the NY Jets’ receiving corps look like without Josh Doctson?

A former first-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Doctson spent the first three years of his career in Washington before unceremoniously being released by the team before his rookie contract had expired.

A combination of injuries and inconsistencies led to his early departure and he would sign on with the Minnesota Vikings in September of 2019 looking to salvage his career.

Unfortunately, he was once again hit with the injury bug and was subsequently released after playing in just one game while failing to record any statistics.

The expectation was that the big-bodied Doctson would compete for one of the final depth receiver spots on the Jets roster in training camp, but he was viewed as a longshot.

Without Doctson in the picture, players like Vyncint Smith, Braxton Berrios, and undrafted rookies Lawrence Cager and George Campbell will have a better shot at sticking around.

Doctson may have one final opportunity to save his NFL career next summer, but even that is far from guaranteed.