Written by Sean Wagner-McGough at CBS Sports.com
June is supposed to be the quietest month on the NFL calendar. The draft and the bulk of free agency are over. Training camp is still a month away. Offseason team activities belong to the Christian Hackenbergs, Josh McCowns and Brock Osweilers of the league — the ones who won’t really matter when the season begins. June is supposed to be the NFL’s hibernation period.
Not this June.
In the past couple weeks, we’ve seen two high-quality players surprisingly hit free agency. The first was Jeremy Maclin, after the Chiefs surprisingly cut him. It didn’t take long for him to find a new home, settling on the Baltimore Ravens. Now, it’s Eric Decker’s turn. As part of the Jets’ ongoing roster purge, Decker hit the open market Monday.
As was the case with Maclin, it’s rare when a player of Decker’s caliber becomes a free agent. In three of his seven seasons, he has eclipsed 1,000 yards 10 touchdowns. He has averaged 0.55 touchdowns per game. Decker’s former teammate, Brandon Marshall, averages 0.49 touchdowns per game. The point is that Decker might not belong in the upper tier of receivers — he’s no Odell Beckham, Antonio Brown or Julio Jones — but he’s in the group below. He’s lethal in the red zone and can help a team.
So, which team will that be? Which team will be lucky enough to land Decker in June? Let’s run through his nine best landing spots.
9. Chicago Bears
After letting Alshon Jeffery walk in free agency, the Bears don’t have a proven receiver on their roster. Cameron Meredith turned into a surprisingly capable receiver last season, racking up 888 yards through the air, but the Bears probably don’t envision him being their future WR1. That role is still intended for Kevin White, the team’s first-round pick in 2015. But at this point in his career, White is an even bigger unknown than Meredith, having appeared in just four games over the past two seasons.
The Bears could use an upgrade at receiver. And no, Victor Cruz and Kendall Wrightaren’t the solutions to the problem. If they can get Decker to take a contract that won’t jeopardize their long-term rebuilding plans, he could be their upgrade. But if it involves too many years and too much money, the Bears would be wise to stay clear of Decker.
8. San Francisco 49ers
Similar to the Bears, the 49ers probably shouldn’t sign Decker to a huge contract. But they certainly have a need at receiver — they’ve had a need there for quite some time. Pierre Garcon is a fine player, but besides him, the roster is devoid of quality receivers. Marquise Goodwin and Bruce Ellington are their next-best receivers. That’s not ideal for Brian Hoyer. Though, to be clear, it’s also not ideal for the 49ers that their starting quarterback is Hoyer. Not much will be ideal for the team in 2017.
Decker would instantly become the best receiver on the roster. But — again — the 49ers are in the middle of a rebuild so they shouldn’t hand him too much money for too many years, which would jeopardize their long-term future. That’s why the 49ers are ranked low on this list, even if their need for a receiver is high.
Also of note: They have enough cap space in the form of $67 million.
7. Kansas City Chiefs
Here’s an outside the box idea.
After cutting Maclin in a cost-cutting move, the Chiefs saved roughly $10 million. But now they’re lacking a dependable receiver outside of tight end Travis Kelce. Could they get Decker to sign a cheap contract for the chance to play on a playoff team?
This seems unlikely, given how badly the Chiefs wanted to save money, but it would be a perfect football fit.
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