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Kerley has had a few workouts this year, including recent auditions for the Patriots and Lions. So far, has been unable to find a home for the 2018 season.

In 2016 with the 49ers, Kerley caught 64 balls for 667 yards and three touchdowns. His best season was in 2012 with the Jets, when he gained 827 yards on 56 catches with two touchdowns. He also offers experience in the punt return game, making him a versatile and experienced option for teams in need.

The Saints would have liked to see Kerley on Tuesday, but they have plenty of star power with former Cowboys standout Dez Bryant, ex-Seahawks receiver Brandon Marshall, and former Ravens notable Kamar Aiken on the practice field. Garafalo hears the Saints are likely to add one of those three players to the roster this week.

Kerley was with the Lions in 2016, so the two sides have some familiarity. Kerley signed a one-year deal with Detroit, but was traded to the 49ers the week before the regular season started, so he never ended up playing a regular season game for the Lions. Kerley has had a few workouts, recently auditioning for the Patriots, but has been unable to find a home.

He was with the Bills earlier this year, but Buffalo surprisingly cut him after Week 1 despite their dire situation at receiver. In his one appearance with the Bills, Kerley caught two passes for seven yards. While he had a bit of a down 2017 with the Jets, he remained pretty productive as recently as 2016 and is still only 29.

In 2016 with the 49ers, Kerley caught 64 balls for 667 yards and three touchdowns. His best season was in 2012 with the Jets, when he gained 827 yards on 56 catches with two touchdowns. He’s also had some experience returning punts, and could be an option there for the Lions as well with star return-man Jamal Agnew done for the season with a torn ACL. Schefter adds that the team also worked out former Browns and Giants cornerback Michael Jordan.

After spending the 2016 campaign with the 49ers, Kerley signed with the Jets last season, returning to the organization where he had spent the first five years of his career. Kerley ended up seeing the field for eight games, hauling in 22 receptions for 217 yards and one score. He was suspended for a PED violation in November, and he was released by the organization following his reinstatement. He signed a one-year deal with the Bills back in April, and he hauled in a pair of catches for seven yards during the team’s season-opener. Then, in a surprise move, the Bills cut him loose.

The Patriots recently bolstered their receiver depth by acquiring Josh Gordon from the Browns, but they’re not necessarily done adding to that group. The club is still one game away from getting Julian Edelman back and Gordon’s Week 4 status is murky due to hamstring trouble, so Kerley could be a viable option for them.

ESPN’s Mike Rodak tweets that the decision was attributed to a “numbers game.” The Bills wanted one more defensive tackle to pair with the trio of Kyle Williams, Star Lotulelei, and rookie third-rounder Harrison Phillips. Despite Thomas’ promotion, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW tweets that coach Sean McDermott‘s rotation on the defensive line will remain the same for tomorrow’s matchup against the Chargers.

Still, even with the team’s need for a defensive tackle, it’s a bit surprising that Kerley was the odd man out. The 29-year-old provided the Bills with some much-needed experience at receiver, and their depth was already a bit questionable. Buscaglia believes the top three receivers for tomorrow’s game will be Kelvin Benjamin, Zay Jones, and Robert Foster, although the team could also turn to veteran Andre Holmes or rookie Ray-Ray McCloud.

After spending the 2016 campaign with the 49ers, Kerley signed with the Jets last season, returning to the organization where he had spent the first five years of his career. Kerley ended up seeing the field for eight games, hauling in 22 receptions for 217 yards and one score. He was suspended for a PED violation in November, and he was released by the organization following his reinstatement. He signed a one-year deal with the Bills back in April, and he hauled in a pair of catches for seven yards during the team’s season-opener.

Thomas, a 2014 undrafted free agent out of Arkansas, has bounced around the NFL during his four-plus seasons in the league, spending time with the Redskins, Seahawks, Patriots, Dolphins, Panthers, and Giants. He has 24 career regular season games under his belt, and he appeared in a career-high 15 games for the Giants last season. He ended up finishing the 2017 campaign with 16 tackles.

Kerley, 29, has a few productive seasons on his resume. The wide receiver played for the Jets for five years before signing up with the Niners in 2016. In San Francisco, he broke out with 64 catches for 667 yards and three touchdowns. Last year, he returned to Gang Green but was unable to reprise that performance. He had 22 catches for 217 yards and one score in eight games before he was hit with a PED suspension and eventually released. Kerley auditioned for the Ravens towards the end of the year but did not sign with another team.

Kerley will now fight to make the Bills’ final cut as a supporting piece behind top receivers Kelvin Benjamin and Zay Jones. Meanwhile, Palepoi will look to serve as a reserve behind Star Lotulelei and Kyle Williams.

Kerely, 29, has had a few productive seasons since being drafted by the Jets in the fifth round back in 2011. He played for New York for five years before agreeing to join the 49ers for their 2016 campaign. He was then released this offseason, resurfacing with the Jets before being cut by the team last week. Kerley had previously been activated from a four-game suspension by Gang Green for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

Running back Alex Collins has been the main weapon on this offense, but wideouts Mike Wallace and Chris Moore have quietly been asserting themselves more and more in recent weeks. Should Maclin not go because of the knee injury he suffered in Week 16, the Ravens now have five other receivers in Wallace, Moore, Adeboyejo, Michael Campanaro and Breshad Perriman to get snaps in his place. Although, adding a veteran receiver like Kerley would bring much needed depth and experience to the unit.

Kerley was handed a four-game ban for performance-enhancing drugs in early November. At the time, Kerley denied intentionally ingesting anything banned by the league’s collective bargaining agreement:

“I was shocked by a positive test for Turinabol, as I have never knowingly taken any banned substances. I am 5’9″ tall and 180 pounds, and I have never used steroids in my life. I’m a good athlete but anyone can look at my body composition and tell that I’m not a steroid user. While I did not have enough time prior to the deadline to resolve this case, I fully intend to investigate this matter until I am able to figure out what caused the positive test, because I know that I have done nothing wrong. When I find out what substance was tainted, I will pursue all remedies at that time because this is not right. I have and will always been a clean player, and I look forward to returning to the Jets to play against the Saints next month.”

Kerley had just 22 catches for 217 yards and one touchdown for the Jets this year. Last year, he enjoyed a bounce-back year with 64 catches for 667 yards and three touchdowns for the Niners.

If Kerley clears waivers, he may have the opportunity to hook on with a playoff team.

Kerley has spent six of his seven NFL seasons with the Jets.

Kerley will be eligible to return to the Jets’ active roster on Monday, December 11 following the team’s December 10 game against the Denver Broncos. His first game back should be on Dec. 17 against the Saints in New Orleans.

In a statement released by his agency, Kerley denied any intentional use of PEDs:

“I was shocked by a positive test for Turinabol, as I have never knowingly taken any banned substances. I am 5’9″ tall and 180 pounds, and I have never used steroids in my life. I’m a good athlete but anyone can look at my body composition and tell that I’m not a steroid user. While I did not have enough time prior to the deadline to resolve this case, I fully intend to investigate this matter until I am able to figure out what caused the positive test, because I know that I have done nothing wrong. When I find out what substance was tainted, I will pursue all remedies at that time because this is not right. I have and will always been a clean player, and I look forward to returning to the Jets to play against the Saints next month.”

So far this year, Kerley has 22 catches for 217 yards and one touchdown to his credit.

In his second go ’round with the Jets, Kerley has served as the No. 3 receiver behind Robby Anderson and Jermaine Kearse as well as their punt returner. The loss of Kerley could prompt the Jets to look for help at receiver, but it’s more likely that they’ll make a depth signing while getting rookies ArDarius Stewart and Chad Hansen more involved.

So far this year, Kerley has 22 catches for 217 yards and one touchdown to his credit.

“No, not that I know,” Bowles said when asked if he’d do it differently (via Alex Squadron of the New York Post). “It’s a personal matter, and I think the team is taking care of it. I have no regrets.”

Henderson, who is seeking $3.3MM in compensatory damages in addition to punitive damages, says he wasn’t hurt when the Jets placed him on the non-football injury list. The organization previously said that the linebacker “was not fit” to play in the NFL, although Bowles wouldn’t elaborate on that sentiment yesterday.

“I am not going to get into that,” Bowles said. “It was just our decision that we came to. … I’ll let the legal system take care of everything else.”

Let’s take a look at some other notes coming out of New York…

• When asked how many “foundational players” were currently on the Jets roster, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini (on Twitter) named five: defensive end Leonard Williams, safety Jamal Adams, safety Marcus Maye, defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson (who he accompanies with a “maybe” tag), and linebacker Darron Lee.
• Following his return to the Jets, Jeremy Kerley was relieved to learn that “nothing changed,” the wideout told Darryl Slater of NJ.com. “Picking up the offense was fairly easy,” the 28-year-old said. “Todd [Bowles] is still here. Some of the guys I know are still here. Back in the area that I know well. It just seems like nothing really changed, man. Everything just feels normal now. San Francisco, I loved it out there. Beautiful. San Fran is home, too. Don’t get me wrong. San Fran is my second home. But here is where I started at. It’s where the dream started.” In two games this season, Kerley has eight receptions for 56 yards.
• The Jets were “credentialed” to have three representatives, including general manager Mike Maccagnan, at yesterday’s USC vs. Washington State matchup, reports ESPN.com’s Kyle Bonagura. The team was presumably attending the game to get a first-hand look at Trojans quarterback Sam Darnold, who WalterFootball.com currently has going first-overall in their 2018 mock draft. The prospect wasn’t particularly impressive during his team’s loss, completing 15 of his 29 pass attempts for 164 yards and one interception (he also lost a key fumble in the fourth quarter).

Here’s more from the AFC East:

• After leaving last night’s game against the Chiefs with a knee injury, Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower has escaped with only a minor MCL sprain, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. New England gets a 10-day break before playing again, so it’s possible Hightower will be able to suit up when the Pats face the Saints in Week 2. If Hightower can’t go, New England will likely turn to fellow ‘backers David Harris and Elandon Roberts to take on more snaps.
• Wide receiver Jeremy Kerley reached out to the Jets and Bowles immediately after being cut by the 49ers last week, reports Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Kerley, of course, is now in his second stint with New York, as he spent 2011-15 with the club. The 28-year-old re-signed with San Francisco on a three-year deal that contained $2.8MM in guarantees, but was still handed his walking papers on Saturday. The Jets are now paying him the minimum to add experience to their youthful receiving corps.
• Former Texans safety Robert Nelson worked out for the Jets today, per Rapoport (Twitter link). Nelson, 27, played in 11 games for Houston a year ago, and while he spent most of his time on special teams, he did manage one interception. New York ranked dead last in special teams DVOA in 2016, so Nelson could help out there, while the club is also fielding two rookie safeties in Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye, so adding a defensive back with experience such as Nelson could make sense.
• Patriots defensive end Geneo Grissom is the NFL’s highest-paid practice squad player at $36,716 per week, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. That’s an active roster salary for a player of Grissom’s experience (two accrued seasons), a clear indication New England wants to keep the former third-round pick around. For reference, the minimum salary for a practice squad player is $7,200 per week.

The Jets auditioned Kerley on Tuesday morning and it didn’t take long for a deal to come together. He’ll now return to the team with which he spent his first five seasons.

Kerley was a staple of the Jets’ offense for multiple seasons, but he fell off the radar in 2015. The next season, he landed in San Francisco where he flourished. The Niners re-signed him to a lucrative contract only to release him prior to this year’s 53-man deadline.

In 16 games last year, Kerley caught 64 of 115 targets for 667 yards and three scores. Those are solid numbers and they look a little more impressive when considering that he was playing in one of the league’s most putrid offenses. He might have a similar experience now that he’s back in New York. The good news for him is that he should have ample opportunities to showcase his skills. Kerley is arguable the most talented receiver on a Jets team that is without Quincy Enunwa this year.

Kerley can also be a contributor on special teams as a punt returner.

Kerley spent the first five years of his creer with the Jets. He broke out with 56 catches for 827 yards in 2012, but his production declined in each following year with Gang Green. He reemerged in 2016 with the Niners as he hauled in 64 catches for 667 yards and three touchdowns. San Francisco re-signed him to a three-year, $10.5MM deal in March, but he wound up as a surprise cut on Sept. 2.

The 28-year-old (29 in November) wasn’t good enough to reprise his role on one of 2016’s worst teams, but he could wind up as the leading receiver for what projects to be 2017’s worst squad. Robby Anderson, the newly-acquired Jermaine Kearse, and rookie ArDarius Stewart currently profile as the team’s best WRs.

Released:

• NT Quinton Dial (story)
• CB Asa Jackson
• WR Jeremy Kerley (story)
• DT Sen’Derrick Marks

Waived:

• TE Blake Bell
• LB Austin Calitro
• WR DeAndre Carter
• OL JP Flynn
• TE Cole Hikutini
• QB Nick Mullens
• DL Noble Nwachukwu
• WR DeAndre Smelter
• OL Darrell Williams

San Francisco signed Kerley to a three-year, $10.5MM deal, which included a $1.7MM signing bonus, in March. The seventh-year pass-catcher led the 49ers with 667 receiving yards last season.

The 49ers will absorb a $3.5MM dead-money hit for this transaction. But the team is not exactly hurting for cap space, entering Saturday holding a league most $69.3MM.

The rebuilding franchise followed up the Kerley re-up with signings of Pierre Garcon and Marquise Goodwin, adding talent to the receiving corps. The 49ers also drafted Trent Taylor in the fifth round.

This release will send Kerley back into free agency, where he resided when the Lions signed him in 2016. The former Jet’s bounce-back season in San Francisco figures to put him on the free agency radar. He won’t turn 29 until November.