After a few years of bouncing around the league, Andre Roberts made a big splash with the Jets last season, earning First Team All-Pro honors for his excellent work as New York’s return specialist. And, as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets, Gang Green wants Roberts to come back in 2019.
The Jets, armed with over $100MM in cap space, have already indicated that they want to re-sign defensive lineman Henry Anderson, which Cimini reiterated, and the club re-upped offensive lineman Jonotthan Harrison yesterday. The team still has a boatload of unrestricted free agents, but it appears that Roberts is next on the priority list.
Roberts, 31, started his career with the Cardinals and has also suited up for the Redskins, Lions, and Falcons. His high-water mark as a receiver came in 2012, when he caught 64 passes (albeit on 114 targets) for 759 yards and five scores. He has always been utilized as a return man even when he was a more regular presence as a wideout, but he was outstanding in the return game in 2018, as he led the league in yards per return as a punt returner (14.1) and in overall yardage as a kickoff returner (1,174). He ran back one punt and one kickoff for scores, and he also added a receiving touchdown.
It may be difficult for him to replicate that success at this stage in his career, but given the Jets’ cap room and their recent track record with return specialists, it would not be surprising to see the Citadel product secure a multiyear pact with an AAV of $3MM-4MM.