3 star wide receivers the NY Jets can trade for this season

The NY Jets are expected to be in the market for wide receiver help this season. It's unclear how aggressive the team will be in pursuit of a receiver before the regular season begins, but most expect the team to explore the market as the year goes on.

Garrett Wilson is a star and a true No. 1 wide receiver. His growing connection with new quarterback Aaron Rodgers has many believing the Jets could boast one of the best quarterback/wide receiver duos in the NFL this season.

The depth behind him, however, leaves a lot to be desired.

The Jets signed Allen Lazard this offseason, reuniting him with his longtime quarterback in Green Bay. Lazard is a fine starting-caliber wide receiver, but his inconsistencies as a route runner and with his hands make him a low-tier WR2 at best.

Then there's Mecole Hardman, another free-agent addition this offseason. Hardman has game-breaking speed and will have a role in the Jets' offense, but it's telling that he's seemingly fallen behind Randall Cobb in the pecking order.

Lazard is a strong WR3. Hardman is probably a fringe WR3/WR4. Cobb is firmly a WR4 at this stage. The Jets are one Garrett Wilson injury away from laying claim to one of the worst wide receiver rooms in the NFL.

Fortunately, Rodgers' pay cut, combined with Corey Davis' surprise retirement, has given the team plenty of financial flexibility in both 2023 and 2024. They have the ammunition to make a high-profile move.

Let's take a look at three star wide receivers the Jets could target in a trade at some point this season.

3. The NY Jets could trade for Marquise Brown

Marquise Brown may not be the same caliber of player as the other two receivers on this list, but you could make the argument that he's a borderline WR1. He's proved that over the last two years.

Brown topped 1,000 yards for the first time in his career in 2021, finishing with 91 catches for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns in his final season with the Baltimore Ravens.

He followed that up with a strong first year in Arizona, where he was on pace for over 1,000 yards again before a foot injury sidelined him for a few weeks midseason. At worst, Brown is a high-end No. 2 wide receiver — something the Jets don't currently have.

He's one of the best deep threats in the NFL, with 4.33 speed and excellent tracking ability. Pairing him with Garrett Wilson would give the Jets one of the better wide receiver duos in football.

A trade is very feasible, too. Brown is entering the final year of his contract in 2023, and it's far from a guarantee that the Arizona Cardinals will look to extend him. After all, the Cardinals probably won't be doing much winning this season.

It's easy to envision a scenario in which the Cardinals shop Brown around prior to the trade deadline. The Jets have the ammunition and financial flexibility to make a trade work.

While many might prefer a true superstar wide receiver like the other two names on this list, if those plans fall through, Brown makes a ton of sense as a contingency plan.

2. The NY Jets could trade for Davante Adams

This is the pipe dream. The Las Vegas Raiders have no incentive to trade Davante Adams at this time. The Raiders are genuinely hoping to compete in 2023, even if they downgraded at quarterback this offseason.

Adams remains one of the best wide receivers in the NFL and is coming off his third consecutive 1,300+ yard season. If the Raiders are competitive this season, it's hard to envision Adams getting traded.

There's a very real chance, however, that the Raiders fall short of expectations again in 2023. Jimmy Garoppolo is a downgrade from Derek Carr. This Raiders roster still has a myriad of holes, and they'll be forced to contend in a difficult AFC West.

If the Raiders start the year 2-5, perhaps they could consider an Adams trade — especially if their star wide receiver has anything to say about it.

Adams was excited to join the Raiders because it meant he would be reuniting with college teammate Derek Carr. With Carr now gone, there isn't a lot keeping Adams happy in Las Vegas. Why not try to reunite with another former teammate, Aaron Rodgers, in New York?

If Adams is going to be traded, the Jets absolutely make the most sense. Rodgers and Adams formed quite the connection during their time in Green Bay, and the Jets obviously have a need at the position.

Adams is the trickiest trade target on this list from a financial perspective. He's still under contract through 2026 with cap hits of $36.25 million in 2025 and 2026 for any team looking to trade for him. It would also require the Raiders to eat a significant amount of dead cap.

Both of the other players on this list make more sense as midseason trade candidates, but you can't overlook the Rodgers factor. A reunion is not out of the question.

1. The NY Jets could trade for Mike Evans

Mike Evans is the best combination of pipe dream and realistic for the Jets. The four-time Pro Bowler has long been one of the most underrated star players in the NFL.

Evans has played nine seasons in the NFL since entering the league as the seventh overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. He's yet to finish a season with fewer than 1,000 yards. That streak of high-level consistency is almost unheard of.

He's won a Super Bowl ring in Tampa Bay and has nearly twice as many yards as any other receiver in franchise history. Evans has done it all with the Buccaneers, and it seems his time with the organization might be coming to an end.

Evans and his agent have set a hard deadline of Sep. 9 for extension negotiations with the Buccaneers. By all accounts, the soon-to-be-free-agent is preparing for the 2023 season to be his final year in Tampa Bay.

Evans is set to be a free agent at the end of the season, and it's unlikely that the Baker Mayfield-led Bucs will be contending this year. That could prompt the Bucs to move him midseason, especially if they can't reach a deal on an extension.

A Mike Evans trade seems more realistic than ever before, and the Jets have the desire and financial flexibility to pull it off. It likely won't take a significant amount of draft capital to make it happen, either, with Evans entering the final year of his contract.

A Garrett Wilson/Mike Evans duo would rival any wide receiver tandem in the NFL and give the Jets one of the best skill position groups in football. Combine that with a Hall-of-Fame quarterback and a top-tier defense, and you'd have a roster with few holes.

This is a very realistic possibility for the Jets. Expect to hear a lot more about this as we draw closer to the trade deadline.