Robert Saleh says Jets won’t trade Elijah Moore, but he will be inactive vs. Broncos

On Thursday, New York Jets wide receiver Elijah Moore was not at practice. He later asked for the team to trade him.

Head coach Robert Saleh addressed the Moore situation during his media availability on Friday. Saleh indicated the Jets are not going to entertain a trade of the second-year receiver.

Saleh did, however, indicate that Moore will not play Sunday when the Jets travel to Denver for a game against the Broncos.

Saleh did his best to downplay the situation.

Moore has reportedly been unhappy with his lack of a role in the offense.

This is clearly a situation where neither side is happy with the other. However, they don’t really have a choice other than to try to work this out.

The Jets are unlikely to get good value trading Moore after this incident. They also would have a difficult time replacing him at this time of the year. It would be a big hit to wide receiver depth, and the team would be potentially one injury away from Jeff Smith stepping into the starting lineup.

From Moore’s standpoint, he has two options. He can either return to the team, or he can step away from football and forego his salary.

In the long run it isn’t clear whether Elijah Moore will remain a member of this team. That likely will be determined months from now in the offseason when the Jets could find options to replace him, and the mechanics of a potential trade will be easier. For now, however, team and player need to figure out how to coexist. Even though the Jets haven’t been pass heavy in recent weeks, they will eventually need to be more productive throwing the ball, and Moore can be part of the solution.