2014 NFL Free Agency: Golden Tate Would Be Nice Upgrade For New York Jets’ Receiving Corps

It’s been quite obvious going into the offseason that the New York Jets‘ primary need in NFL free agency is at wide receiver. The plan is to finally bring in a top wide receiver or two to give the Jets’ offense some much needed pop. The entire wide receiving corps of the Jets will definitely be redone to have a more threatening group that can make plays, catch deep passes and of course score touchdowns. Last year the Jets scored only 13 receiving touchdowns, but think about this for a second. Opponents outscored the Jets in receiving touchdowns by more than double. That translates to a losing battle way before the game coin has even been tossed since you are consistently being outscored by opposing teams and their wide receiving corps. This is a glaring statistic that should be a focal point on the Jets’ agenda to hit free agency looking for top quality players to put more touchdowns on the scoreboard.

When you look at the free agents available at wide receiver for the Jets, a lot of big names come up. Players like Eric Decker, Hakeem Nicks and Julian Edelman lead the pack and are sure to find new homes while earning a huge paycheck in the process. However, there is one particular player who would be a nice upgrade for the Jets at not only that position but on special teams as well. Golden Tate is set to hit free agency on Mar. 11 to test the waters and see if he can find a new home. Last year, he had pretty decent numbers with 64 receptions, 898 yards and five touchdowns. Another area he excelled in was his punt returning skills. He returned 51 punts for 585 yards and had a solid 11.5 yard average per return. In addition to that, Tate also led the NFL in yards after catch at 7.75 per reception.

The Jets would be smart to see what the asking price is to acquire Tate and pair him up with another solid wide receiver. Tate would be a terrific No. 2 kind of player partnered up with either another top quality free agent receiver or perhaps a first-round pick coming out of the 2014 NFL Draft. They have plenty of money to spend in free agency, and bringing him in would not only help their receiving issues but also special teams. Tate would be the Jets’ main punt/kickoff specialist who could run up and down the football field with ease against opponents. Thanks to general manager John Idzik, the Jets have an incredible advantage over other teams going into free agency. Since he’s seen Tate emerge into a solid player when he was the Seattle Seahawks vice president of football operations, Idzik has a great link to him. If anyone can have Tate see the Jets as a potential new home, it’s Idzik.

Now it’s just a matter if the Jets will pull the trigger…

Luis Tirado Jr. is a New York Jets writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @LTJ81, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+

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