Out with the old, in with the new. The New York Jets are entering the 2025 NFL campaign with a clean slate. Led by first-year general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn, the team is striving to disassociate itself from the previous failed brain trust. Consequently, rising second-year wide receiver Malachi Corley finds himself on thin ice.
Corley will reportedly have to earn his keep with Mougey, Glenn and Co. It's quite a turn of events, considering how much the ex-GM and coach duo of Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh prioritized the Western Kentucky product in last year's draft. Nonetheless, the circumstances have changed, and it's time for the 2024 No. 65 overall selection to adapt to the situation or get left behind.
Jets WR Malachi Corley could join ex-GM Joe Douglas on the chopping block
Douglas and Saleh were both dismissed in the middle of this past season. The maligned veteran quarterback they attached themselves to, Aaron Rodgers, was released in March. In other words, the Jets are purging the franchise of anyone with ties to the former brass. Corley isn't an exception, and must impress the freshly installed regime.
"A lot has changed in 14 months," ESPN's Rich Cimini wrote. "Rodgers, Douglas and Saleh are gone; Corley could be, too, if he doesn't alter his career trajectory."
As Jets fans know, Corley was virtually nonexistent as a rookie. He struggled to see the field due to lackluster route running and immaturity, according to Cimini, despite being hand-picked by Douglas and Saleh. Call it a misuse of assets, poor management or whatever else you want; regardless, the 23-year-old amassed 42 scrimmage yards on five touches and only appeared in nine games.
"Corley never was embraced by the previous coaching staff — which noticed immediately that his route running lacked precision," Cimini said. "... His maturity also came under scrutiny, with some in the organization privately questioning his approach, according to people with knowledge of the situation."
What can Malachi Corley do to solidify his standing with the new Jets front office?
First and foremost, Corley must be physically ready to prove himself, especially with the Jets implementing a different offense under first-year coordinator Tanner Engstrand. Corley has fallen behind the 8-ball after suffering an undisclosed injury during organized team activities (OTAs) and subsequently missing mandatory minicamp.
"[Corley's] going to have to find a way to catch himself up," Engstrand recently voiced (h/t Cimini).
Jets receivers coach Shawn Jefferson echoed a similar sentiment, indicating that health is wealth and everything starts with being "available."
"My old coach, Bill Parcells, used to say the first thing you need to be is you need to be available," Jefferson said. "[Corley's] missed some time, and there's a learning curve here, so he's in catch-up mode right now."
While Douglas scored several notable wins during his time running the draft in New York, the Corley saga is just one more painful reminder of the ways in which his tenure went awry.