The Jets made it official, tendering Robby Anderson with a second-round qualifying offer Wednesday.
Anderson will become a restricted free agent next week. He can negotiate with any team through April 19, but this move allows the Jets to match any offer the speedy wide receiver gets from another team.
If the Jets opt not to match any offers, they would receive a second-round pick from Anderson's new team. The tender is worth $3.1 million.
The Jets also announced that they have tendered all nine of their exclusive-rights free agents, who are now unable to sign with another team.
They are quarterback and former Giants third-round pick Davis Webb, wide receiver Deontay Burnett, running back De'Angelo Henderson, offensive lineman Ben Braden, defensive lineman Bronson Kaufusi, linebackers Frankie Luvu and Anthony Wint, cornerback Jeremy Clark and safety Doug Middleton.
The Jets are expected to be very busy and active when free agency kicks off next week. They have about $100 million to spend and plenty of holes and areas of need.
They have 28 unrestricted free agents, including cornerback Morris Claiborne, defensive end Henry Anderson, All-Pro returner Andre Roberts, kicker Jason Myers and veteran quarterback Josh McCown.
The Jets had four restricted free agents: Anderson, tight ends Eric Tomlinson and Clive Wolford and defensive tackle Destiny Vaeao. But they only tendered Anderson, so the other three will be free agents.
Tendering Anderson was expected, as the Jets would like him to be a part of their near future at least.
The 25-year-old Anderson is a talented receiver and deep threat who took a little while to develop chemistry last season with rookie quarterback Sam Darnold. Anderson caught 50 passes for 752 yards and six touchdowns in 14 games.
Since signing with the Jets as an undrafted free agent out of Temple in 2016, Anderson has caught 155 passes for 2,280 yards and 15 touchdowns.
New Jets coach Adam Gase spoke highly of Anderson at the NFL combine last week. Gase said Anderson has "unique" speed, and that he has to find ways to make him even more of a threat and weapon for the Jets offense.
"You don't see a whole bunch of guys who have what he has and the way he tracks the ball down the field," Gase said. "I don't think I've ever been around a player that does it as smooth. He is so smooth that when he sticks his hands out and at the speed he's running, to see him just pluck the ball and keep on rolling.
"We're just going to keep trying to think of ways to get him the ball, ways to create variety in his routes. Instead of just doing one or two things, maybe we can open that thing up to five, six, seven things to where he's a threat on multiple levels, whether it be underneath, intermediate or down the field."
If Anderson is a Jet this season, he will be in a similar position that fellow receiver Quincy Enunwa was last year.
Enunwa played 2018 on a second-round tender. The Jets signed him to a four-year extension worth $36 million _ $20 million of it guaranteed _ at the end of last season. The Jets would have the ability to do the same with Anderson.
Anderson has had some off-the-field issues that could prevent teams from being willing to part with a second-round pick for him. Anderson was arrested in the offseason in 2017 and 2018 in South Florida. Many of the charges were dropped and he was not suspended by the NFL following either arrest.
