The New York Jets have said goodbye to several players from their 2024 roster in 2025 free agency, with tight end Tyler Conklin being one of them.
Conklin spent the past three years with the Jets, where he proved to be an asset in more ways than one. The 29-year-old also posted his best season as a pass-catcher during the 2023 campaign, when he had a career-best 621 yards.
But the Central Michigan product decided to change coasts this offseason, signing a one-year, $3 million deal with the Los Angeles Chargers. Now, the Jets are left with an uninspiring group led by Jeremy Ruckert and recent free-agent signing, Stone Smartt.
While the Jets could look to add their long-term solution at the position in the 2025 NFL Draft, we’d expect New York to add at least one veteran to the room just in case.
And, that’s exactly what The Jet Press’ Justin Fried believes they should do. Fried thinks the Jets could be players for Chicago Bears free agent tight end, Gerald Everett.
Following two years as a starter with the Chargers, Everett spent 2024 in a reserve role for the Chicago Bears. The South Alabama product finished the year with just eight catches for 36 yards in what was easily the least productive season of his career.
Everett offers plenty of NFL experience as a quality pass-catcher, but his underwhelming 2024 campaign and lack of blocking ability make him an odd fit for the Jets. Still, he deserves a mention.
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Everett spent the 2024 campaign with the Bears, where he played sparingly behind starter Cole Kmet. The veteran finished with just eight catches for 36 yards in 246 snaps.
But Everett has proven during his career that he can be a plus pass-catcher, with the soon-to-be 31-year-old tallying over 400 yards five years in a row from 2019-2023. Everett is just an OK blocker and has gotten better in pass pro over the past four seasons but still leaves a lot to be desired in the run game.
Even still, the Jets can’t be too picky when it comes to adding a veteran tight end at this late stage in free agency. Everett would be a solid stopgap option until the Jets figure things out for the long haul.
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