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Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
USA Track and Field Championships: Tara Davis-Woodhall, Nico Young lead day 1 winners
Olympic gold medalist Tara Davis-Woodhall and American record holder Nico Young led the winners on the first day of the four-day Toyota USA Track and Field Outdoor and Para National Championships. Davis-Woodhall unleashed the world's two farthest long jumps of 2025 — 7.12 and 7.11 meters, beating her Olympic-winning jump of 7.10 — to repeat as national champion at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Davis-Woodhall fouled her first two jumps, which meant she needed a fair third jump to stay in the competition. She delivered in the same position at the 2024 Olympic Trials. "When I come out to these meets, it's glorified practice for me," she said. "I know what I do at practice. Just do it at the meet." USATF OUTDOORS: Results | Broadcast Schedule Davis-Woodhall will lead a U.S. women's long jump team at September's World Championships in Tokyo that also includes world indoor champion Claire Bryant and Tokyo Olympian Quanesha Burks. Jasmine Moore, who won Olympic bronze medals in the long jump and triple jump, finished sixth in the long jump at nationals. She is entered in Saturday's triple jump in Eugene. Nico Young outkicks Grant Fisher in 10,000m Nico Young earned his first national title in the 10,000m, one month after breaking the American outdoor record in the 5000m. Young, 23, outkicked Olympic bronze medalist Grant Fisher for the win -- 29:02.12 to 29:02.37. Graham Blanks took third to round out the world championships qualifiers. Young, 12th in his Olympic debut in 2024, is the youngest U.S. men's 10,000m champion since Dan Browne in 1998. He beat Fisher for the first time in six career head-to-heads, according to "I've got a lot of confidence going into worlds, and I possibly could medal," Young said. The 10,000m is the only men's track event where the U.S. has never won a world medal. Young, Fisher and Blanks are all entered in Sunday's 5000m. As is Olympic 1500m gold medalist Cole Hocker. Emily Infeld wins first U.S. women's 10,000m title at 35 Emily Infeld won her first national title on the track in the women's 10,000m, a decade after winning a World Championships bronze medal in the event. Infeld, 35, clocked 31:43.56 to win over two-time Olympian Elise Cranny (31:44.24) and Taylor Roe (31:45.41). None have the minimum qualifying team for World Championships qualification, so they will have to see if they get in on world rankings. Infeld is the oldest U.S. women's 10,000m champion since Lynn Jennings in 1998. She was 16th in the 2024 Olympic Trials 5000m, then took time off to heal her Achilles. 'Especially after my last two years, a lot of people are probably like, 'Yeah, she's getting kind of on the downhill,'' Infeld said. In the women's hammer, 2019 World champion DeAnna Price won her fourth U.S. title with a 78.54-meter throw. She'll be joined on the world team by 2022 World champion Brooke Andersen, Rachel Richeson, who goes to her first worlds after missing the Olympic team by one spot, and two-time world medalist Janee' Kassanavoid. Olympic silver medalist Annette Echikunwoke placed sixth. Noah Lyles, Sha'Carri Richardson debut in 100m Olympic champion Noah Lyles, world champion Sha'Carri Richardson and the rest of the biggest 100m stars all advanced out of the 100m heats. Lyles, though, only ran the 100m first round as a tune-up for Sunday's 200m, where he's bidding for a record-tying fifth U.S. title. Lyles will not run Friday's 100m semifinals or final. Richardson, coming back from a February injury, posted her best time of 2025 (11.07). Like Lyles, she has a bye onto the world team in the event as defending world champion from 2023. Donavan Brazier, Josh Hoey go from track wilderness to national championships spotlight The men's 800m at the Toyota USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships is shaping up to be a classic. Nick Zaccardi,
New York Times
30 minutes ago
- New York Times
As beloved Buffalo Bills coach Marv Levy turns 100, former players reflect on the ways he changed them
Fran Levy was anxious about the idea and set against it. Her husband is 99 years old. Interstate travel is not easy on him. Stairs are a menace. People want to hug him and shake his hand, creating nervous moments when he's no longer holding onto his walker. Besides, he had an event scheduled the next day back home. Advertisement Her husband, however, is indefatigable former Buffalo Bills coach Marv Levy, and the man doesn't shrink from a challenge. The Pro Football Hall of Fame had invited Levy to celebrate his 100th birthday as part of induction weekend. A little argument occurred in the dining room of their Chicago home. 'She challenged the idea of us going,' their daughter, Kimberly Alexopoulos, said, 'and he put his hand firmly down on the table and his voice raised. 'What do I say? What do I say? When it's too tough for them, it's just right for us!' He still uses the Marvisms in his family! 'I started crying. Let's all be like him our entire lives.' So all the Levys are going. His 100th birthday is Sunday, but he'll be celebrated all weekend. The Hall of Fame arranged for a custom van to take Marv and Fran to Canton and back again for the festivities, highlighted by a birthday celebration Friday among family, close friends, Bills alumni and fellow bronze-bust legends. He'll be honored again Saturday afternoon, this time on national television as part of the 2025 class' induction ceremony in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. 'It's a monumental effort for him,' Alexopoulos said, 'but he knows this is going to be historic and wants to give back to football, to the Hall of Fame, to his former players, to anyone who has ever been a fan.' Levy insisted they return home Saturday night, not because Marv wants to spend his centenary at home, but because he's a man of his word and already committed to a Sunday afternoon appearance at the National Sports Card Convention, coincidentally in suburban Chicago this year. The event will be another opportunity for his greatest players to honor their patriarch. Fellow Hall of Famers Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, James Lofton and Bruce Smith will be signing autographs there too. Advertisement 'Everybody in his presence is engaged in whatever he is saying,' Alexopoulos said. 'To me, it's the most endearing part of him. He's the best role model that anyone's been blessed to have for all these years, and I will share him with anyone and everyone as long as they're going to see his character and goodwill. 'Sorry to cry. I don't understand how he's so superhumanly amazing like that.' Let's see if his former players and a select few others can explain the ageless spirit and timeless renown of Marv Levy. How would you explain to someone who has never met Marv Levy what he's like? Darryl Talley, Bills Wall of Fame linebacker 1983-94: It's almost like a kid going to see Santa Claus. Think about it. How often do you get to see Santa Claus as a kid when you still think he's real? James Lofton, Hall of Fame wideout: Nowadays, every once in a while, you hear people talk about a player as a unicorn. Marv Levy was a unicorn. Sean McDermott, who hosted seven Super Bowl Bills to dinner when he became head coach in 2017: You could tell how much Marv meant to them. Just listening to the stories. It wasn't 'He was my friend.' It was, 'Remember when Marv made us do that?' They talked about how he was teaching them as young men, lessons they are still talking about and sharing with their kids — and now their grandkids, probably. Steve Tasker, seven-time Pro Bowler on special teams: He's a human being you gravitate towards and want to emulate. Just being around him, it felt like he made you better. Andre Reed, Hall of Fame receiver: Marv was a dad to me. Players that weren't even coached by him say that. He has an aura. Levy was considered old when the Bills hired him in November 1986. So old, in fact, that Levy lied about his age, telling owner Ralph Wilson he was 58 years old when he was actually 61. Advertisement Pete Metzelaars, Bills tight end 1985-94: I don't think any of us had recollections of him being the head coach at Kansas City (from 1978 into 1982). It was, like, 'Who's this guy and what did he do? Why are they picking this guy?' He was doing color commentary for our games, and we knew he'd coached in Canada. Tasker: I got to Buffalo very early in Marv's tenure. I was one of the first new guys on the team, part of his movement. Who knew where it was going to go? Cornelius Bennett, 1990s All-Decade linebacker: You couldn't imagine this man, so tiny and frail-looking, was a leader of giants. Mike Lodish, Bills defensive lineman 1990-94: Looking at him when I got to Buffalo as a 10th-round draft pick (in 1990), I thought, 'Wow.' I didn't expect him to be this little guy. I was thinking NFL coaches were John Madden-sized or looked like Dan Campbell. Levy enlisted in World War II the day after high school graduation, graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Coe College, was accepted into Harvard Law School and eventually earned a double master's degree in English and history from Harvard. Tasker: He never failed to be impressive in anything he did. He's always special, and he's full of integrity and humor and self-deprecation and humility. Lofton: He easily could have been your English professor or your philosophy professor in college. He just had a way of using words that related to every man on the roster while holding them to a higher standard as a player. Talley: He's a supercool nerd. He's the most unusual person I've ever seen. He can make a smart man feel dumb and a dumb man feel smart. Lodish: I soon realized you don't need to be a big man to be a great coach. You need to have the ability to communicate and to get your players to buy into your philosophy. Tasker: He was just a human being that you gravitated towards and you wanted to emulate. Being around him, it felt like he made you better, and it was always a gift. Advertisement Levy quickly became known for his ability to harness one of the NFL's most notable collections of alpha personalities. Talley: Just to handle all the egos we had in our locker room — that alone — he has to be a great man. Marlon Kerner, Bills safety 1995-98: Coming into a team with a history of success, having been two years removed from a fourth consecutive Super Bowl, I was unsure of so many things. Coach Levy was such a calming voice. Steve Christie, Bills kicker 1992-2000: He is a teacher of men in a business that brings in a multitude of different individuals from, at times, vastly contrasting backgrounds. He was able to mold all of us together into a collective force that was prominent in the league for years. Metzelaars, Indianapolis Colts offensive line coach 2004-11: He treated us like men. 'This is what we're going to do. This is how we're going to do it.' He was very similar to Tony Dungy. They weren't emotional and rah, rah, rah. Marv was calm, clear, intellectual. Bennett: Most head coaches that I've observed, they need to make sure you know they're in charge. Coach Levy was not like that. He didn't have to prove anything. Metzelaars: There were times he'd play the old-man card and pretend he didn't hear what somebody said, that selective hearing. He'd let it slide and then handle it behind the scenes. Kerner: He also had a true open-door policy, and for a young guy, that was huge to see. It made him approachable and real. He was the type of coach that you would be willing to do anything for if he asked. Jerry Ostroski, Bills offensive lineman 1994-2001: Marv treated us like men, individuals in a team concept. When issues arose, he never tried to — publicly or in front of the entire team — shame us. Marv handled each situation man-to-man and in private. Lofton: We became the Bickering Bills because we were a talented team in transition, and he recognized how to address it. Advertisement Metzelaars: It was about a team that hadn't been successful learning how to handle success. In '88, we made the AFC title game. We had expectations the next year and thought we'd be great, but we were up and down. The attention and the media were something we had to learn to handle and say things the right way and not throw people under the bus. Lofton: Marv takes all those bickerers and puts them on the leadership council. Winning helps too. But what comes first, the winning or the unity? Marv making those guys leaders helped the team unity more than anything else. Talley: If we didn't think you were pulling your weight or were half-assing with your bulls—, we'd cuss you out and tell you to do your f—— job. We were not going to accept you not doing your very best. Marv did a masterful job of letting us deal with our emotions, say what we had to say and move on to the next game. Metzelaars: The great thing about that team was that nobody was untouchable. You could give Jim a hard time, Bruce a hard time, Thurman a hard time, Andre a hard time, and they'd take it. That mattered. Bennett: He didn't get in our way. He allowed us to be ourselves. He knew we were going to work. 'Club Marv' was a pejorative. Media and players from other teams scoffed at Levy's radical approach to training camp, reducing practice times and giving veterans added rest. Levy's philosophies now are universally accepted and even incorporated within the NFL's collective bargaining agreement. Jamie Mueller, Bills fullback 1987-91: Marv didn't want to babysit. He didn't want to deal with BS. He wanted to work with professionals. Ostroski: Many people across the league felt he was a 'soft' coach and, quite frankly, it was quite the opposite. Toughness was understood and a must to be a part of the franchise. Advertisement Metzelaars: People said our camps were 'so easy' and 'so soft.' We'd be out there an hour and 30, 40 minutes — boom, get all the work in and get off the field. It was about moving fast, playing fast, recreating the speed of the game in practice as much as possible. Talley: He did things other coaches wouldn't think of. Lofton: It's exactly what the NBA is doing today with load management. He was just so advanced in his thinking. Phil Hansen, Bills defensive end 1991-2001: If you want to sum it up in one phrase, his whole mission was 'clarity of purpose.' Every football coach is bombarding you with instruction and all these reminders. You gotta get in this stance! You gotta low pads! You gotta shed 'em! You gotta get to the ball carrier! You gotta get to the quarterback! Marv knew you were hearing it all week. He made more of an impact with less words. Lodish: Marv's influence was an academic approach to football that inspired us to do extra stuff like study film and take care of our bodies. The extra stuff is what separates the great teams from the bad ones. Lofton: He knew we had to be fresh and fit to run our K-Gun offense because we got just as tired as the defense did, but we could never let them know that. Hansen: You always heard about coaches who, if you lost the game, they would work you twice as hard. That's what I would grow to expect: If you lose, you've got to work harder — fire and brimstone. Marv would do the opposite. He would say, 'You know what? Maybe we're working these guys too hard. I trust them. Let's take the pads off Wednesday.' Thurman Thomas, Hall of Fame running back: I wish sometimes Marv would have gotten a little bit angrier at us. You hear the stories about Bill Parcells getting on Lawrence Taylor's ass every now and then to try to bring out the best in him. Marv just wasn't that guy. Advertisement Ostroski: Marv did not feel the need to beat toughness into us with crazy practices and workouts because he knew his players so well that he was already confident the 53 guys on the roster already had it. Bennett: So many of us played at a high level for 10 years or longer. That's all Coach Levy and his style of coaching. Metzelaars: The way he took care of the players had a lot to do with us being able to come back and play at a high level, year in and year out, even after the disappointments. Thomas: For him being too easy on us, we always knew what to do! He didn't have to tell us a lot. Talley: You didn't want to be late for anything Marv had scheduled. You wanted to be early. You wanted to follow him because he let us play football. He just directed us. Thomas: Everybody was on time. Everybody was under weight. Everybody was in shape. Talley: However old Marv was when he got here (60 years old), he still was running three and four miles in between practices. Just running because he had so much energy to burn up. Lofton: Here's a guy who could still turn it on. You couldn't look at him as this little, frail guy. He was in his prime at the time. Metzelaars: I think he did some lifting too! Talley: First one there and last one to leave. Ostroski: Marv was a players' coach and always about the individual. He thrived in taking outliers and players that maybe did not quite fit a specific mold and, with development, he got them to thrive in the Bills system. … Everyone today talks about 'You never know what someone is going though.' Marv was handling things this way since the '80s. Thomas: He never really got upset. He always talked about how things should be, how things should go. If there were games Marv pulled me out because of a fumble or dropped pass, I wouldn't have minded, but he always showed so much trust in me that I was going to do my best every single time. I wanted to play hard for him, to win a Super Bowl for him. Advertisement Bennett: When you have a coach like that, you can't do anything but want to perform for him. You might want your individual accolades, but you wanted to do it for Coach Levy. To me, that's a tremendous leader. Known for his extraordinary oratory skills, everyone who has been around Levy has a story to tell about his Marvisms and motivational speeches. Metzelaars: We also went from Hank Bullough and his way with the English language to Marv, who was an unbelievable orator. (Bullough once infamously began a news conference by ripping a fart and calling it his opening statement.) Hansen: I hung on every word. I don't think players pay as much attention to coaches because they say the same thing over and over. Marv always had something different to give you. Talley: The longer I stayed around him, the more I just became enamored with the things he would say. He could connect with anybody from any background. Didn't matter who it was. He had the ability to communicate like I have never seen. Lofton: The first training camp I had was the 1990 season because I arrived during the 1989 season, where we lost to Cleveland in the playoffs. In the first meeting, he laid out that we needed home-field advantage. 'To do that, we probably need to go 7-1 at home and no worse than 5-3 on the road, maybe even 6-2 because we need to play in Rich Stadium.' I'm used to coaches talking about getting to the playoffs, but nothing this specific in July about home-field advantage. I thought there would be some snickers in the back and I looked at those core players, who were All-Pros and Pro Bowlers, and they were steely-eyed. Hansen: He could read the room and knew what words would get through. Lofton: We bought into exactly what Marv Levy was selling because he was telling us exactly what we needed to do and probably what we needed to hear. Advertisement Jim Ritcher, Bills Wall of Fame guard 1980-93: His stories were so inspiring. He would always leave you with something memorable, things like: 'Where else would you rather be than right here, right now?' And 'When it's too tough for them, it's just right for us.' Ostroski: My favorite Marvism is 'Systems don't win. Players do!' Bennett: 'When it's too tough for them, it's just right for us.' That one, to me, more than any other stands out. When we were home and it was cold, and the field was icy, that summed up our team. We won some crazy games there. Metzelaars: 'One more river to cross.' Tasker: 'It's simple, but it's not easy.' It's simple to say or to understand, but it's not easy to do. I think that's what life is. Life is about just making your way, but it's not easy. Mueller: He would draw up a play on the board, say, 16 Slant. He would go, 'Offensive line, you do X-Y-Z. Jamie, you block here. Thurman, you run for a touchdown.' Simple when you draw it up, but difficult to get done. The attention to details, that resonates in life. Tasker: Marv had that sophisticated vocabulary that could throw you for a loop. Thomas: Every time he used a big word, he would say, 'Look it up, Thurm.' Talley: And then Thurman would say, 'Can you spell it for me?' Reed: Before every meeting, we would guess and maybe even place a bet on what type of story he was going to tell. 'Is it going to be a war story?' Metzelaars: He loved World War II history. He once recited this old British military song: 'Hitler has only got one ball, 'Göring has two but very small, 'Himmler is rather sim'lar, 'But poor old Goebbels has no balls at all.' Why do I remember that? You remember it because he made a point with it. He was talking about Nazi Germany and why all of Europe isn't under their control right now: 'Because they couldn't win on the road,' he said. We had lost 20-some road games in a row, and that story stuck. We finally went out and won one. Advertisement Lodish: He would use all this history to teach lessons, get us to laugh and be cohesive with each other in our team meetings. Hansen: At halftime of the Comeback Game, he told us all the things we needed to do and said, 'Now, let's go out there and have a garrison finish!' Everybody screamed, 'Yeah!' and ran out onto the field. I thought, 'Garrison finish? What the hell is that?' I had to look it up after the game. Do you know what a garrison finish is? Well, in true Marv style, I could tell you, but I won't. Go look it up. But no Marvism is more recognizable than 'Where else would you rather be than right here, right now?' Just before the opening kickoff at every Bills home game, the 'Legend of the Game' alum will Lead the Charge of players from the tunnel and exalt the crowd with Levy's pregame question. Lofton: Marv Levy was about enjoying the moment. 'Where else would you rather be than right here, right now?' What can you do in this moment for victory? McDermott: I had it put in my office because there's a lot that's baked into that: 'Where else would you rather be?' I hope he's OK with another coach using that because I'm using it with the most admiration and appreciation and gratitude. It's become a big piece of Buffalo. There's gratitude there. When I walk into my office every day or players come in or we have free agents in for a visit, I want that to be the message, that this is a special place. Ritcher, Legend of the Game for Week 7 last year: Buffalo, being the small market it is and enduring the weather, you're saying none of that matters. What's important is being in that moment. Reed: I'm coming back to Lead the Charge against the Ravens for the season opener, and it's part of the culture now to say it. The fans go nuts when they hear that because it means a lot to this organization and this city. Advertisement McDermott: A hundred percent. It's awesome. How about Ryan Fitzpatrick, pulling his shirt off to say it? When people ask me what it's like to coach or play in Buffalo, I tell them to Google 'Ryan Fitzpatrick, playoff game, right here, right now.' You talk about an all-time sports moment? The crowd saw him pull his shirt off and they got louder. Then he started to say 'Where else would you rather be …' and it got louder. And after they screamed 'Right now,' it went to a level I don't think I've ever heard. It doesn't get much better than that. THE LEGEND OF FITZMAGIC!!#GoBills | #BillsMafia — Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 20, 2025 Ritcher: It was fun to say those words. They were so meaningful when Marv would say them, and to hear the fans scream them along with you was special. McDermott: Sometimes, I'll walk into a team meeting and just say it — almost instinctively. It'll come out of my mouth without thinking. Levy is the oldest living Pro Football Hall of Famer, but he has another 309 days to catch Chicago Cardinals halfback/quarterback/defensive back Charley Trippi and 538 days to catch Brooklyn Dodgers quarterback/tailback Ace Parker for the oldest ever. But neither attended the Hall of Fame as centenarians. Alexopoulos: We don't even have a comparison here. What do you do with a 100-year-old at the Hall of Fame? We're the first. Metzelaars: I lost my mom and my father-in-law this past year, both at the age of 91. For Marv to be still rolling at 100 is incredible. Tasker: It's a gift. You can tell he's old, but he's still Marv! He's still able to hold conversations. Being able to share this with him and all these guys that he's meant so much to is pretty cool. Lodish: The man has uncanny cerebral capabilities. Bennett: His sense of humor is still tremendous, and his wit is amazing. As I'm talking right now, I'm smiling, just thinking about it. Advertisement Alexopoulos: He still has strength. He can walk a straight path for longer than the average 60-year-old. He has his walker, and he handles flat Chicago well. He goes shopping. Lodish: A couple years ago, I went back to a game. Marv and Fran just so happened to be sitting in a box just above us. I asked my family, 'Do you want to meet Marv Levy?' We walked into the box and said, 'Coach Levy, it's Mike Lodish. I just wanted to say hello.' He goes, 'Mike Lodish? We drafted you in the 10th round in 1990 out of UCLA. How are you?' What I want everybody to know is that Marv Levy — at probably 97 years old then — remembered some nose guard he drafted 30 years earlier. I was blown away. Bennett: Most guys that played in our era don't have this. Their coaches have passed. But we still have our general. Thirty-eight years after an 'old man' became Buffalo's head coach, he continues to make an indelible mark on his players and the organization he guided to four straight Super Bowls. Thomas: Marv is my father figure and my coach all in one. That won't ever change. He taught me a lot about life. He always asks, 'How are Patty and the kids?' It's not just about football. Bennett: When I made the decision to sign with the Falcons in 1996, Coach Levy called me that same morning. We had a long conversation. I told him, 'If I didn't have a father, and I could choose someone to be my father, I would choose him' because he was everything. Ritcher: I'm glad that he decided to be a football coach and not a lawyer, as his father had wanted. When told of Marv's desire/decision to be a football coach, his dad's response was 'Be a good one.' I have passed down many of the lessons he taught to my sons and grandchildren. I am privileged to have played for and to know Coach Levy. Hansen: I didn't know any different until Marv retired. The older I get, the respect and admiration just grows. I didn't realize how good I had it until it was over. Advertisement Reed: We were fortunate to be in his presence. Regardless of us going to four Super Bowls and didn't win, I wouldn't rather do it with anyone else than Marv. Talley: The greatest thing he taught us as a coach was how to take something from a defeat and put it aside to use for the next time that situation came up or when you played that team again. Just put it in a box and wait. That goes for life. Mueller: Marv is a class act, always has been. He stays above the fray, always. Kerner: He means everything to me as a former player. He believed in me and gave me an opportunity to live out my dream. I learned how to be a professional in everything because of him and the staff that was assembled. Those lessons carried over to how I approach everything. I am not who I am today without the example of Coach Levy. Lofton: When I got a chance to coach, I was very reflective of the message to put out there and the standard you want these guys to meet. Everybody wants to build a great program, but it's a daily mission. Marv Levy was so good at that. Bennett: He was everything I was supposed to get out of football as a head coach and a leader. He got the best out of me. I never wanted to disappoint him, and I hope the way I played exemplified that. Thomas: I'm blessed to have him still in my life. I can't wait to give him a big hug and tell him I love him.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Jets named logical landing spot for $11 million breakout wide receiver
The New York Jets receiving corps ranked 28th in the NFL ahead of the 2025 season, according to Pro Football Focus. The team recently signed their star wideout, Garrett Wilson, to a massive $130 million extension. Outside of Wilson, the Jets' depth chart includes Josh Reynolds and Allen Lazard. While both fit the team's new run-first offense thanks to their blocking ability, they are, at best, serviceable as pass-catchers. Last year, Reynolds played for two teams and totaled only 194 receiving yards, while Lazard ranked 85th in the NFL in receiving yards with 530. The Jets need another option to line up alongside Wilson. Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports believes the Jets can add to their unproven receiving corps by making a trade for San Francisco 49ers star wideout, Jauan Jennings. 'The Jets are banking a lot on rookie tight end Mason Taylor to become a viable pass-catching option for new quarterback Justin Fields, because there's not much proven playmaking sizzle behind Garrett Wilson out wide,' Benjamin expressed. 'Besides their glaring need for added wideout help, the Jets are also run by a couple of former Detroit Lions coaches in Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand, the latter of whom helped emphasize receivers' blocking in Motor City. Jennings is well regarded in that area, so he could be a seamless plug-and-play starter in East Rutherford.' Although the 49ers have said they don't have any intention of trading Jennings, he has expressed that unless he gets a new deal, he wants out of the Bay Area. Jennings has never been a No. 1 receiver, but he has been productive in his role. While wideouts Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk missed time last season due to injuries, Jennings took advantage of the opportunity, climbing the depth chart and taking on a more significant role. He had a breakout year, catching 77 passes for nearly 1,000 yards and six touchdowns. Jennings' performance proved to the 49ers and the NFL that the former seventh-round pick can be a top-tier receiver. Adding a weapon like Jennings would give the Jets a more proven playmaker to line up alongside Wilson and make life easier for new starting quarterback Justin Fields for seasons to come.
