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New York Jets wide receiver John Metchie III reacting after a big play during an NFL game against the Baltimore Ravens.
The New York Jets are heading in a different direction.
NFL Insider Jordan Schultz revealed on social media that the Jets “don’t plan to tender” wide receiver John Metchie III as a restricted free agent. In other words, Metchie is now scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday, March 11.
“An intriguing FA, Metchie is just 25 years old,” Schultz added.
Sources: The #Jets don’t plan to tender WR John Metchie III as an RFA, making him a free agent.
The former Alabama standout had 29 catches for 256 yards and 2 TDs — while starting 7 games with the Jets after coming over in a trade. An intriguing FA, Metchie is just 25 years old.
Explaining What This Move Means
Metchie was a restricted free agent this offseason. The Jets had three RFA tender choices to potentially assign Metchie:
First round: $8 million
Second Round: $5.7 million
Right of First Refusal: $3.5 million
The most likely of these tender options was the right of first refusal. Had the Jets chose that option, Metchie would have received a one-year $3.5 million tender. If no team provided him an offer sheet, Metchie would have then played the 2026 season on that tender.
If another team had signed him to an offer sheet, the Jets would have had the right to match any offer. If they matched it, they would have retained Metchie on that offer sheet that he signed with another team. If they chose not to match it, Metchie would join his new team, but the Jets would receive no compensation in exchange.
Instead, the Jets chose not to tender him at any level, which removed his RFA status and made him an unrestricted free agent.
It Was Worth the Old College Try
Ahead of the November NFL trade deadline, the Jets struck a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Gang Green sent cornerback Michael Carter II and a 2027 seventh-round pick to Philly in exchange for Metchie and a 2027 sixth-round pick.
For the Jets, this was really about a salary dump, and they got to move up a round in a future draft. Metchie was considered a throw-in in the deal.
It was low risk – high reward kind of move.
The Jets took a chance on a kid who had plenty of potential. Metchie, 25, will turn 26 before the start of the 2026 season.
He entered the league as the No. 44 overall pick in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft. Across the first two and a half seasons of his career, Metchie collected 44 receptions for 430 receiving yards, and he scored one touchdown.
With the Jets, he had some nice production. He appeared in nine games and made seven starts. With those opportunities, Metchie registered 29 catches for 256 receiving yards, and he scored two touchdowns.
The Jets Can Do Better Than Metchie
When you look at the raw numbers, Metchie performed admirably with the Jets. The cynic in me would say, well, someone had to catch the passes at the end of the season.
Gang Green was decimated with injuries, and that forced Metchie into a bigger role on the depth chart.
He had some brutal drops down the stretch and, quite frankly, didn’t factor into the team’s long-term plans. The Jets have Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell. Experts have urged the Jets to add another dynamic receiver to that room on top of those two.
So, best-case scenario, Metchie would have been fighting to be WR4?
“I would have liked to see him compete for WR5/6 but he pretty much did nothing last year. Any production he did get was schemed for the most part. Not shocked here,” analyst Joe Blewett of Jets X-Factor posted on social media.
I would have liked to see him compete for WR5/6 but he pretty much did nothing last year
Any production he did get was schemed for the most part
Not shocked here https://t.co/V9TvlxFy1l
— Joe Blewett (@Joerb31) March 5, 2026
Paul Esden Jr. covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. A New York native, he co-hosts a morning show, “The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital.” Before joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY, and The Score 1260. More about Paul Esden Jr.
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