NY Jets should explore reunion with forgotten WR after his public plea

The New York Jets are in desperate need of wide receiver help. Outside of Garrett Wilson, the team lacks any truly reliable options. Entering the season with their current group of pass-catchers would be a troubling sign for Justin Fields and the offense.

Given their need for outside help, any veteran addition at wide receiver should be taken seriously. One veteran currently on the market has already started campaigning for the Jets to bring him in. The twist? He’s a former Jet looking for a reunion.

You may remember him as Robby Anderson, but he goes by Robbie Chosen now, and he wants to come back. His exit from the Jets wasn’t exactly smooth, and he’s no longer the rising star he once was, but he’d be a low-cost addition with plenty of motivation. At this stage, he’s worth the flier.

"I’m open to every team. I don’t want to make it seem like I’m too good for any team. I’m just hoping for a great opportunity, but the Jets would mean a lot. My career started there, and the culture that I know that they’re building and everything. Not to single any team out, but that would be special. It would be nostalgic."

Robbie Chosen

Why a Robbie Chosen reunion makes sense for the NY Jets

Chosen left New York in the midst of the Adam Gase debacle in 2019 and went on to sign with the Carolina Panthers. He wasted no time making an impact, posting a breakout season with career highs in receptions (95) and receiving yards (1,096), all while catching passes from Teddy Bridgewater.

However, he was never able to replicate that success. The following season, his production dipped to 53 receptions for 519 yards. In 2022, he split time between Carolina and Arizona, starting just seven games and finishing the year with 20 receptions for 282 yards.

Chosen has appeared in just 11 games over the past two seasons with the Miami Dolphins, seeing only 10 targets during that span before being cut in September. Needless to say, things haven’t gone well since his breakout year.

All of that is to say there’s no reason the Jets shouldn’t take a flier on him. If they were to sign Chosen, he’d come at a bargain price with minimal risk. The upside? He’d likely be more motivated than he’s been in years, eager to prove he still belongs, especially in a return to the team that gave him his start.

Let's not forget how lethal Chosen was during his first four years in New York. He caught 207 passes for 3,059 yards. After his rookie year, he never finished a season with less than 50 receptions or 750 yards.

He also managed to produce without the benefit of a reliable quarterback. During his four seasons with the Jets, he caught passes from 10 different starting quarterbacks, none of whom were particularly effective.

The list includes names like Ryan Fitzpatrick, Sam Darnold, and Josh McCown, along with Bryce Petty, Luke Falk, and Trevor Siemian. Not exactly a who's who of top-tier quarterbacks.

It's not as if he fell off a cliff after leaving the Jets. His outstanding 2020 season reaffirmed his talent; breaking 1,000 yards and 95 catches is not to be overlooked. It's not like he had Joe Montana at quarterback, either.

Of course, all of that seems like ancient history. His last relevant season was 2021, and there are three consecutive seasons' worth of data that show a drastic decline.

He also hasn’t had much of an opportunity on the field—at least not in the regular season. Following a sideline altercation with a Panthers assistant coach and a disappointing 2022 campaign split between Carolina and Arizona, he never truly saw meaningful action again. The Dolphins brought him in, but over two seasons, he was targeted just 10 times.

Obviously, it's fair to say that the three teams restricting his playing time were the ones watching him day in and day out, so their collective decision not to play him was likely for a good reason.

That said, Miami’s receiver room was stacked, so it’s not all that surprising he didn’t get much of a look. And it’s hard to believe that he completely lost all of his ability in just two seasons. Sure, he relied heavily on his speed and vertical threat, but he still knows how to run routes and catch passes. How much of the basics could he really have lost?

If he’s given consistent playing time, or at least a real chance to earn a role in the offense, he could still provide value. He wants to be here, and with his career hanging in the balance, the Jets might get the most motivated version of Robbie Chosen anyone’s seen.

Maybe this means he fails and proves why his value has plummeted, but at a team-friendly price tag, who cares? Unless they go with several receivers in this year's draft, the Jets will have to sign somebody, and there are no particularly amazing options remaining on the free-agency market.

Maybe it means he proves he still has enough left in the tank to be a solid No. 3 or No. 4 option. Maybe he catches 30 passes and gives the offense 350 yards — that would be more than enough. And honestly, it’s not out of the realm of possibility.

Again, he also wants to be here. If nothing else, bringing in a guy like that can be a positive for the culture, and culture is what Aaron Glenn is pushing hard right now.

The Jets need a receiver, and he needs the Jets. In a weird way, this might be a match made in football heaven.

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