Veteran wide receiver Elijah Moore is still available on the market over a month and a half after the start of free agency. Coming off an up-and-down 2024 campaign, the 25-year-old will be wearing a new uniform in 2025.
Recently, the Browns placed an unrestricted free-agent tender (worth $3.428 million) on Moore. That means he is still free to sign with any team before July 22. Cleveland will hold the “exclusive negotiating rights” after the deadline.
Why Hasn’t Elijah Moore Signed With Any Team Yet?
Moore was the No. 34 overall pick by the New York Jets in the 2021 NFL Draft, and while he showed glimpses of brilliance while in the Big Apple, his NFL career hasn’t gone according to plan.
After catching five touchdowns as a rookie, Moore has totaled just four receiving TDs over his last three seasons, mixed in with a high of only 640 yards in 2023, and you can see why no team has rushed out to sign him. Additionally, he could also have been waiting for the 2025 NFL Draft to evaluate his playing time options on different teams.
The biggest factor remains Moore’s play. He spent his first two years with the Jets before being traded to the Browns. In 11 games as a rookie, he posted 43 receptions for 538 yards and five touchdowns until a Week 13 quad injury landed him on injured reserve and cut his first season short.
#Browns have placed a rare FA tender on WR Elijah Moore. What does this mean?
A $3.4 million tender on Moore means if anyone signs him, they would now have to surrender a 2026 compensatory draft pick the @Browns.#Cleveland wants him back. pic.twitter.com/Lg9ssshWtE— The Bearded Browns Show (@Bearded_Browns) April 29, 2025
Moore played in 16 games the following year but requested a trade after Week 6. He didn’t like how he was being used in New York’s offense, but the Jets declined to trade him. He finished with just 37 catches for 446 yards and one touchdown in a year where Garrett Wilson established himself as the Jets’ No. 1 receiving option.
The following offseason, New York traded Moore and a third-round pick to the Browns for a second-round selection. He was Cleveland’s No. 2 receiver in 2023, but he only totaled 59 receptions for 640 yards and two touchdowns. The Browns experimented with Moore as a gadget player, too. He saw nine carries out of the backfield, but he only totaled 11 yards.
Browns Finished Dead Last in PFSN’s Offensive Rankings
The 2024 season was an abysmal one for Cleveland’s offense as the unit finished dead last in PFSN’s Offense+ metric. Despite the constant turnover at quarterback, Moore posted a career-high in receptions with 61 last season.
However, his yardage (538) and touchdown (one) totals dipped, and the Browns decided not to extend him after the season. Cleveland recently signed veteran receiver Diontae Johnson as they look to find a trade partner for Moore if he’s still a free agent after July 22.
Moore, on the other hand, has some untapped potential, and it’s very possible that his best football could be ahead of him if he joins the right situation, especially because he’s never had quality or consistent quarterback play throughout his NFL career.