After a strong end to the NFL season, Las Vegas Raiders WR Zay Jones heads into the 2022 offseason as an intriguing free agent. With inconsistent numbers during his career, what are Jones’ potential landing spots as a free agent? Let’s examine how his season shaped up in 2021-22 and what it could mean for this offseason.
Zay Jones landing spots
Last offseason, then-Raiders head coach Jon Gruden mentioned how impressed he had been with Jones during the offseason. It all started off nicely with Jones turning in 2 receptions for 46 yards and a touchdown in Week 1. However, by Week 7, Jones had just 7 targets, 6 receptions, 115 yards, and that single touchdown on the year.
However, things changed after the Week 8 bye. Since then, Jones has been targeted at least twice in every game, with a total of 63 targets in the second half of the season. Jones turned those targets into 431 yards but has failed to find the end zone again. The bulk of that productivity has come since Week 12. In the last seven weeks, Jones has averaged 7.7 targets per game, with 38 total receptions for 342 yards.
Jones has been regularly used as the player to stretch the field for the Raiders in the second half of the year. He finished the regular season with 70 targets, 47 receptions, 546 yards, and a touchdown. Last offseason, Nelson Agholor signed a two-year, $24 million contract with the Patriots after turning 82 targets into 48 receptions, 896 yards, and 8 touchdowns in 2020.
Jones is not likely to be looking at a similar level deal to Agholor, but he should see an improvement on his one-year, $2.5 million contract he signed with the Raiders last offseason. Let’s examine which teams might be potential landing spots for Jones in 2022.
A return to the Raiders is a more than viable option
Jones’ development this season has been crucial for the Raiders. Following the tragic incident involving Henry Ruggs, Las Vegas needed someone to be their deep threat. With Darren Waller also struggling with injury, there were limited options in the Raiders’ offense. That has been where Jones has shined and been extremely crucial this season.
The departure of Ruggs will mean that the team needs to look to invest in their WR group this offseason. As it stands, entering their Wild Card Weekend matchup with the Bengals, Las Vegas is projected to have around $40 million in cap space.
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However, they have other pressing needs, especially on defense. With this in mind, Jones could be an intriguing option to bring back.
He would likely cost $5 or 6 million per year on a two-year contract. That would be a perfect bridge player for the Raiders if they want to select and develop a receiver in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Could Jones return to the Buffalo Bills this offseason?
Jones started his NFL career as a second-round selection of the Buffalo Bills in 2017. He had a mixed beginning to his career in Buffalo. During his 36 games with the Bills, he saw a useful 194 targets. However, he could only pull in 46.4% of those targets, causing a ton of frustration. As a rookie, Jones caught just 36.5% of his targets, rising to 54.9% in his second campaign. The Bills then traded Jones to the Raiders during the 2019 season.
Since then, Jones has drastically improved his consistency. During his time with Las Vegas, Jones has caught 69.2% of his targets. In his first two seasons, that was largely due to a shift in his role to be closer to the line of scrimmage. However, in 2021, his average depth of target is a career-high (14.0), and he has caught 67.1% of his 70 targets. The Bills are set to have Emmanuel Sanders become a free agent this offseason, and Jones could be an ideal replacement.
The Chicago Bears need to drastically bolster their receiving corps this offseason
The Bears currently have Darnell Mooney returning in 2022. The young receiver did enough to make the case that the Bears do not need to chase a high-profile receiver to be a No. 1 for them next season. That allows them to instead focus on building their receiving group with a veteran second option and adding young talent in the draft.
Jones would be an intriguing fit as that veteran option. During his time with the Raiders, he has proven his ability to do the work close to the line of scrimmage and deeper down the field. He would be a fantastic complement to what Mooney offers them as a primary weapon. Jones would allow the Bears to really stretch the field — assuming they can keep Justin Fields upright for long enough to throw it deep.
Jones would be a solid addition to the Indianapolis Colts offense as a WR2
Another team that needs to target that veteran option to be their WR2 is the Colts. Michael Pittman Jr. has really emerged as the primary receiver, but he needs someone that will draw the attention of the defense on the other side. We saw that this year when T.Y. Hilton was healthy. Opposing defenses had to choose where to focus, especially with Jonathan Taylor running wild in the backfield. Thus, Pittman and Hilton were routinely afforded space.
Jones can play that role perfectly. Opposing teams will have to respect his ability to go deep, which will mean they have to freeze one of their safeties with an eye on Jones. That then limits their options on the other side with Pittman. Throw in the desire for opposing teams to stack the box against Taylor, and the Colts would have teams stretched in three different directions.
The Houston Texans really need to add another veteran receiver this offseason
In Brandin Cooks, the Texans have a legitimate star at WR. However, at times, he was frozen out of the game because of a lack of other options available. Danny Amendola provided that spark occasionally, but he was often injured and is also a free agent this offseason. The Texans have Nico Collins, who they drafted last year, but they need a veteran option to work alongside Cooks.
There is every chance we see Amendola back next year, but the Texans cannot simply rely on him. A pairing of Amendola and Jones as veteran options to pair with Cooks and Collins would be an intriguing combination to help the new head coach and whoever is playing QB for the Texans next year.
