In an attempt to bolster its receiving corps to help quarterback Zach Wilson and alleviate the attention on receiver Garrett Wilson, the Jets sought out a veteran No. 1 receiver. Evans made perfect sense. He was publicly frustrated with his contract and decided to end negotiations once the Bucs didn’t extend him. That prompted Jets general manager Joe Douglas to call down to Florida in August.

The call was brief, the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud reported. Tampa Bay said Evans wasn’t available, and the two sides didn’t broach the matter again.

That was until the 11th hour of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline. Just when it appeared a foregone conclusion that no one would reach out and Evans would simply play out the final year of the a five-year, $82.5 million contract extension, Douglas came calling again.

 

And Tampa Bay, which has dropped to third in the NFC South after three consecutive losses, said no deal two months after the initial ask.

Evans wasn’t the only receiver the Jets attempted to pry away from their current team. New York also asked the Raiders about Adams, who has become more visibly frustrated each week, and the Bengals about Higgins, who is on pace for his worst season since entering the NFL in 2020.

Both Las Vegas (3-5) and Cincinnati (4-3) said their respective receivers weren’t available for trade. The Raiders’ position could stem from the eventual firing of former head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager David Ziegler on Tuesday night.

In every way, Las Vegas is trending down, whereas Cincinnati is on the upswing. Some of Higgins’ numbers could be attributed to playing with an unhealthy Joe Burrow to start the season. Now that the Bengals quarterback is healthy, though, Cincinnati is trying to claw its way out of the AFC North basement.

The Jets will have to make do with what they have, while the Bucs and Raiders are likely waiting until the end of this season to assess the situation and their potential moves.

With the Jets at 4-3 and in the hunt for a playoff spot, it was a little odd that GM Joe Douglas could not make improvements in the offensive department that the team needed before the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday. But it wasn’t for a lack of trying.

According to multiple reports, the Jets reached out to the Las Vegas Raiders about potentially acquiring wide receiver Davante Adams. They also spoke to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers regarding Mike Evans but both teams told Gang Green they were not willing to trade them.

The Raiders did offer Hunter Renfrow, according to the New York Post’s Brian Costello, but the Jets were not interested.

In his post-Trade Deadline meeting with the media, Douglas was asked if the Jets made any calls on the wide receiver market and intimated they did but, obviously, could not get a deal done.

“We made a lot of calls on a lot of different positions,” Douglas said. “It takes two to tango.”

Adams is one of the best receivers in the league and aside from being able to lift the Jets’ offense, his connection to Aaron Rodgers from their Green Bay days, could have made a potent combination once the future Hall of Famer returns to the field from his Achilles injury.

So far this season, the 30-year-old has caught 47 passes for 539 yards and three touchdowns.

Evans is having a similar season to Adams in his final year with Tampa Bay. The 30-year-old has caught 33 passes for 507 yards and five touchdowns. After this season, Adams has three more seasons with the Raiders.

The Post also reports that the Jets looked into offensive line help. New York spoke to the Vikings about Ezra Cleveland, but Minnesota traded him to the Jaguars for a sixth-round pick.

The Jets will start their playoff push when they host the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football.