Robby Anderson Says He Has 'Unfinished Business' with Jets, Wants Return to NY

New York Jets wide receiver Robby Anderson said Tuesday he'd prefer to remain with the franchise as he prepares to become an unrestricted free agent March 18.

Anderson discussed his feelings about the Jets during an appearance on ESPN's NFL Live.

"I think they definitely want me back," he said. "I truly do want to be back with the Jets. I love Sam (Darnold). I love my teammates, Jamal (Adams) and all those guys. I feel like there's unfinished business there that I've been trying to get done since I got there. I would hope to finish out the mission, all in all, but it's a business."‬

Anderson ranked second on the Jets in both receiving yards (779) and touchdown catches (five) in 2019 while racking up 52 catches in 16 games.

The 26-year-old New Jersey native signed with New York after going undrafted out of Temple in 2016. He's registered 207 receptions for 3,059 yards and 20 touchdowns across his first four seasons. He's played in 62 of a possible 64 regular-season contests.

Darnold praised one of his top targets in December:

"Robby has always been great. There are some games obviously where the numbers aren't as big, or he's not highlighted on the stat sheet. But for Robby, that's because sometimes he gets cloud coverage, where a team is putting safeties over the top of him, like they did a couple of times today. For us, when Robby is rolling, he is a really good asset, but when there are times that he's not, that's usually when other guys step up."

Although New York does rank 11th in projected cap space for 2020 at $56.1 million, the team already rates 10th in amount of money committed to receivers for next year at $24 million, per Spotrac.

That could make it difficult for the Jets, who have major needs alongside the offensive line and in the defensive front seven, to make a lucrative offer to another wideout.

Anderson will join Amari Cooper and Emmanuel Sanders among the top wide receivers available on the open market. A.J. Green will jump to the forefront of the group if the Cincinnati Bengals don't use the franchise tag to retain him.

If Anderson can't reach a new deal with the Jets, the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles are among the teams that will seek an upgrade at the position in the offseason.