Could this former rushing champ land with an AFC East rival?

According to Adam Schefter, former rushing champion Ezekiel Elliott could end up playing for a Patriots’ rival in the AFC East.  The New York Jets could really be making a true all-in push this offseason.

Schefter indicates that the recently released Elliott, the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and former rushing champion could wind up with the Jets.  The report indicates that Elliott wants to play for either the Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, or Philadelphia Eagles.

There still a lot to hash out here, I’m sure.  Firstly, how do we know that any of these teams would actually want to sign Elliott?  He’s clearly lost a step and did average less than 4.0 yards per carry this year, which was a career low.

He shared the backfield with Tony Pollard and it was clear who the better running back was in 2022.  However, over the course of his seven year career, he’s rushed for over 8,000 yards in the NFL and has made quite the mark in the NFL.

The Jets have been plastered all across the media this offseason as they seem to be the desired destination for Aaron Rodgers.  Both the Jets and the Green Bay Packers need to agree to trade compensation, but Rodgers might be heading to the AFC East.

This would make sense as to why Elliott might want to come to the division.  While I don’t think Elliott can do much damage on the ground anymore, him and Breece Hall, who is working his way back from a torn ACL, would be a lethal combo.

Couple that with the Jets signing Allen Lazard and perhaps Odell Beckham, Jr, and it’s easy to see how the Patriots can get buried in the AFC East again.  Elliott may end up playing for a different team, or even no team at all in 2022, but the overarching idea here is that there are quite a few teams being aggressive this offseason in trying to improve their roster, and the Patriots need to kick it up a notch.