Another young star WR could emerge as a trade target for the NY Jets

The NY Jets have been closely monitoring the wide receiver market over the last couple of months with names such as DK Metcalf and A.J. Brown at the center of recent rumors. But one new name may be joining the conversation.

The Athletic's Ben Standig analyzed the situation surrounding Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin in a recent article. In the article, Standig discussed what a potential McLaurin extension could look like and how the team is preparing to go about it.

He also shared that while the Commanders have insisted privately and publicly that they plan to keep McLaurin for the long haul, that hasn't stopped other teams from checking in on the situation. The Jets are likely one of those teams.

Per Standig, "teams have explored the possibility" of trading for McLaurin and that they're "monitoring in case an opening to acquire McLaurin emerges."

Could the NY Jets actually trade for Terry McLaurin?

A third-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, McLaurin has somewhat quietly developed into one of the better wide receivers in the NFL. He's put together three consecutive 900-yard seasons and back-to-back seasons of at least 1,000 yards.

All of that has been done while being paired with less-than-stellar quarterback play in Washington. At just 26-years-old, McLaurin represents a rising star wide receiver who would instantly become the best receiving target the Jets have had in over half a decade.

The question is, of course, would he actually be traded? Right now, it seems highly unlikely.

The Commanders have the financial flexibility to extend McLaurin and both sides do appear prepared for the inevitable extension talks later this offseason, perhaps as early as this month.

But as we've seen time and time again this offseason, nothing is certain. A month ago, no one would have expected that Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill would be traded. Yet, here we are.

The NFL world is keeping a close eye on that entire 2019 wide receiver class, Terry McLaurin included. They're not all going to be traded, but there's a chance that at least one of them gets moved this offseason.

If that's the case, the Jets shouldn't hesitate to pounce at the opportunity.