Jets second-year wide receiver Elijah Moore is frustrated and has asked for a trade, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. This follows a tweet from Moore last Sunday expressing bitterness about his role (Moore was targeted zero times in a win over the Packers) and a missed Thursday practice due to a “personal day.”
Sources: #Jets WR Elijah Moore, frustrated with his role and usage, has asked for a trade. The team has no plans at all to trade him. The former second rounder was targeted once in the win over the #Packers, but the play was negated by a penalty. pic.twitter.com/JJvSbnxXZ1
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 20, 2022
The 2022 season was primed to be a breakout year for Moore, who established himself as the team’s top receiver last year prior to a late-season injured reserve stint. But with this Jets offense that’s filled with playmakers (wide receivers Garrett Wilson and Corey Davis, running backs Breece Hall and Michael Carter, tight ends Tyler Conklin and C.J. Uzomah, et cetera), Moore has been buried on the food chain. He has just eight targets combined amid this current three-game win streak (four catches, 64 yards).
As Rapoport notes, the Jets don’t plan to trade Moore. And they shouldn’t. The Jets made a significant investment in the 2021 second-round pick and can still maximize his superb on-field talents. This has just been a rough stretch for the young wideout — he needs to remain patient, as his moments in the offense will come.
This is an incredibly familiar situation to the one involving receiver Denzel Mims, who is somehow still on the Jets’ roster in year three. General manager Joe Douglas drafted Mims in the second round back in 2020, and the former Baylor standout had his moments during an injury-hampered rookie season before seeing his role shrink in both 2021 and 2022.
It’s tough to imagine Moore going down that same exact route and finding himself an absolute non-factor in his third season (Mims has yet to play a down in six games). However, it’s interesting to think that another second-round receiver drafted by Douglas is already seeing his role shrink in year two.
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