Jermaine Kearse finally found a new home after a disappointing 2018 season.
After two years in New York, the former Jets wideout signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract with the Lions. The veteran wide receiver should compete for snaps in the Lions’ rotation with Marvin Jones, Kenny Golladay and Danny Amendola.
Kearse leaves the Jets with 1,181 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns in 30 games over two seasons. He joined the Jets in 2017 when New York traded Sheldon Richardson to the Seahawks for Kearse and a second-round pick. Kearse immediately became a favorite target of Josh McCown’s in 2017 (where he caught five touchdowns for 810 yards) before his production dropped off with Sam Darnold in 2019.
With the rise of Robby Anderson and Chris Herndon, the return of Quincy Enunwa and the early usage of Terrelle Pryor, Kearse became an afterthought on offense. It wasn’t until Enuwa’s injuries flared up and Pryor was cut that Kearse saw more action this past season, but even then his production dipped dramatically.
By the end of the season, Kearse appeared frustrated with his lack of involvement, telling reporters he felt like he “got put on the back burner a bit” by offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates.
“I felt that I wasn’t a part of it as much,” Kearse said after the season. “For me coming off my best year statistically the year before, I had some very high expectations. It was just really frustrating and unfortunate that things didn’t go the way I expected, which happens sometimes.”
The Jets didn’t need Kearse anymore after signing speedy slot wideout Jamison Crowder this offseason. Crowder is a younger, better player than Kearse and should be a great safety net for Darnold. Between Anderson, Herndon, Enunwa, Crowder and even young projects like Deontay Burnett, Kearse wouldn’t have been needed on the offense despite his cheap contract.
In Detroit, Kearse should be able to carve out a nice role now that slot wideout Golden Tate is with the Giants.
