Should the Jaguars Make a Bid for Jets Receiver Elijah Moore?

There is never a shortage of disgruntlement in the NFL. In a sport where careers and peaks don't usually last long and where contracts can evaporate in the blink of an eye, it isn't rare for players to opt to put their careers first and look for potentially greener pastures. 

The latest such case is coming out of the 4-2 New York Jets, with second-year wide receiver Elijah Moore. The No. 34 overall pick a year ago opted for a trade request on Thursday after he saw zero targets in last Sunday's win over the Packers and played his fewest snaps since Week 7 last year.

"To ask him to play a football game with where he is from a mental standpoint wouldn't be fair to him, in my opinion," Jets head coach Robert Saleh said on Friday. "But that's strictly my decision."

"It's part of what we deal with every day," Saleh said. "We've had our discussions with Elijah. Trading him is not an option. We'll just continue working with him."

The Jets clearly don't seem intent on dealing the young and budding receiver, but does that mean the Jaguars shouldn't at least display some interest? 

The Jaguars made their own fair share of investments at the wide receiver position in recent years. The Jaguars' receiver room is one of the most expensive in the entire NFL after signing Jamal Agnew, Marvin Jones, Zay Jones, and, of course, Christian Kirk over the last two offseasons. 

But in that same span, Jaguars general manager has picked up just one receiver in 16 draft picks in 2021 sixth-rounder Jalen Camp. Camp, who was seen as a raw prospect when he was drafted, never looked quite ready to play in training camp as a rookie and failed to make a 53-man roster that had Tavon Austin on it, which says something about the selection.

So while the Jaguars have spent considerable at wide receiver in the last two offseasons, there has been no real investment in the long-term future of the receiver room as opposed to its present. 

The only receivers on rookie deals on the Jaguars' 53-man roster are second-year receiver Tim Jones, who was an undrafted rookie signing last year, and undrafted rookie Kendric Pryor, who was claimed off waivers ahead of Week 1 and has only been active in one game. Pryor has not taken an offensive snap this year, and Jones has caught one pass. 

Enter Moore. The Jaguars don't have any receivers quite like Moore on the roster; he is short, but not small, at 5-foot-10 but has shown the ability to win inside and outside. Add in strong blocking ability and the fact he has been the Jets' X receiver for the last two seasons (72.6% of his career snaps have been outside), and Moore has the ability to win outside the numbers thanks to his separation ability and speed.

According to Pro Football Focus, Moore saw 27% of his targets last year at 20 or more yards, leading to him catching eight passes for 193 yards and a touchdown. The Jaguars have used just one of their starting receivers as a downfield threat with Marvin Jones. With Zay Jones better utilized as an underneath or intermediate threatened Kirk being much more impactful inside than outside, there is a legitimate need for an outside receiver with Moore's traits, even if he isn't a big-bodied receiver. 

Considering the Jaguars have seemingly placed a higher emphasis on quickness, explosiveness and separation ability than size at the receiver position, Moore seems right up their alley. With his ability to win as a true X-receiver or as a player who can be schemed touches on screens or out of the backfield, he is a clear fit for Doug Pederson's scheme.

Most importantly, though, Moore is cheap. The Jaguars don't have the flexibility over the next few years to splurge with even more contracts at wide receiver, but Moore has a cap hit of $2,438,298 in 2023 and $2,844,681 in 2024. For a young, explosive, versatile receiver, that is a bargain. 

If the Jaguars can get Moore for, say, a third-round pick, then that is a deal they should make. It is unlikely the Jaguars can get any player in the third round next year who could make a bigger impact than Moore over the next 2.5 years. Considering Marvin Jones is an impending free agent, it is fair to ask if a young, cheap and talented solution like Moore makes more sense than a rookie alongside Zay Jones and Kirk next year. 

The question to ask is how much Moore would cost to trade for, if the Jets even answer the phone. The Jets have proven with Denzel Mims that they are willing to dig in their heels even with a trade request on the table, keeping Mims on the roster and mostly as a healthy scratch since he requested a trade earlier this season.

If the Jets do think they can get by without Moore, who according to reports had a blowup with offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur about his role and lack of usage on Wednesday, then perhaps they can come to grips with him wanting to be in a more pass-centric offense.

The Jets are winning games with a strong defense and running game. It is clear they want Moore, but it is unclear if they exactly need him considering they have won three games in a row without him being a significant factor. Whether this impacts their asking price for a talented player they just spent a top-40 pick on a year ago is unknown, but it is worth considering.

Moore makes perfect sense for the Jaguars. The question is if they can get it to make perfect sense for the Jets, too.