Eric Decker put the pen to paper Thursday, officially signing his contract with the Jets hours after agreeing to the deal.
The Jets addressed their most glaring hole, signing the top wide receiver on the free-agent market. But is it enough to help jump-start an offense that was ranked 31st in the NFL in passing in 2013?
Most people believe Decker is a No. 2 receiver, but the Jets needed to upgrade the position any way possible, and they did that by signing Decker.
“At the end of the day, they had a lot of money to spend and they had to get somebody, obviously,” NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger said. “What they have there just isn’t sufficient. The big thing is whether he can make that jump to a No. 1 and be the guy — the Dez Bryant, the [Larry] Fitzgerald, be that guy. It doesn’t really matter because they need help. The draft is going to supply more help. I just think it’s a good starting point.”
The Jets plan on adding more receivers through free agency and May’s draft. But Decker will need to be a go-to guy for Geno Smith this season no matter whom else they add. The Jets signed Decker to a five-year, $36.25 million contract with $15 million guaranteed, a reasonable deal.
Decker comes with a nice résumé. He had 87 catches for 1,288 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. In 2012, he had 85 catches for 1,064 yards and 13 touchdowns. The man throwing Decker all of those passes was Peyton Manning, so there is a question of whether he can thrive away from Denver.
“I think Decker is a good No.2 receiver,” ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said. “If you’re asking more than that, maybe you’re expecting too much. He was in the perfect scenario certainly in Denver with Peyton last year, when you think about what he was able to do numbers-wise. When he was at Minnesota, I had a second-, third-round grade on him when he came out. I liked him coming out of Minnesota as a 2, not a 1.”
Pro Football Focus, which rates players based on film study, had him as their 11th-best wide receiver in 2013.
Whether or not he is a true No. 1, the Jets are better on offense by adding him. No one on the Jets had half as many catches as Decker last season. Jeremy Kerley led the team with 43 receptions. The Jets had just 13 passing touchdowns last season, two more than Decker alone in Denver.
“Geno Smith needs some help,” former Jets coach and current ESPN analyst Herm Edwards said. “He can’t do it by himself. We know they’re going to have a good running game. They always have a solid defense.
“Coach Ryan preaches defense there, but you have to help the quarterback. This team only had 13 touchdown passes. Remember, this is a passing league. This is not back in the ’30s and the ’40s. This is a league where you’ve got to air the football out. You have to throw to score. You have to run to win.”
Edwards said he didn’t think Decker has top-receiver talent.
“Eric Decker, he’s a good No. 2. I don’t think he’s a No. 1,” he said. “They’ve got to tighten up that position, as well as the tight end, to help this young quarterback.”