Reporter links Jets with WR other than Raiders' Davante Adams

A New York Jets team looking to do more than just end its lengthy playoff drought is being linked with big-name wide receivers such as Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders and Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers this summer.

At least one Jets reporter believes the club could and should target a veteran receiver other than Adams or Aiyuk before September.

"The [Carolina Panthers] would like to be a contender in 2024, but it’s pretty clear they’re still in rebuilding mode, which means some of their most important weapons, like receiver Adam Thielen, could be available via trade," Andy Vasquez of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com explained in a piece published Thursday. "And with the Jets needing only to pay Thielen's $5.5M base salary...he would bring veteran experience and reliability to the Jets receiving room, and the compensation in a trade is sure to be less than the first-round pick that would be required for Adams or Aiyuk."

Stories linking the Jets with Adams seemingly pop up every day even though his agents insisted on Tuesday the Raiders haven't had any meaningful trade talks regarding their client this summer.

Adams and New York starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers were teammates on the Green Bay Packers from 2014 through the 2021 season, and the two have made it known they'd love to play together once more before Rodgers rides off into the sunset of retirement.

"The Jets would need to be able to pay Adams' $16.9M base salary if they traded for him before the season," Vasquez pointed out. "According to Over the Cap, they have only $6.1M in cap space remaining."

On Wednesday, Over the Cap's Jason Fitzgerald wrote that he doesn't "think it makes a ton of sense" for the Jets to try to trade for Adams before the start of the season.

Meanwhile, Aiyuk is in the final year of his rookie contract and has requested a trade. As much as the Jets would probably love to add a proven playmaker such as Aiyuk before Week 1, the club also has to start preparing to pay star wide receiver Garrett Wilson.

As Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic mentioned last month, Wilson and other noteworthy Jets starters will be eligible to sign contract extensions next offseason.

Meanwhile, ESPN stats show that Thielen finished the 2023 regular season tied for the 10th in the entire league with 103 receptions. He also contributed 1,014 receiving yards and four touchdown grabs.

Logic suggests that the Jets don't need to land a No. 1 target like Adams or Aiyuk with Wilson already on the roster. Acquiring Thielen may not sell extra jerseys or tickets, but it could be the right overall decision for New York's short-term and long-term futures.