The NFL is seen as a glamorous sport, but there are harsh realities that hit, and for New York Jets receiver Malachi Corley, just a year into his career, he might already be looking over his shoulder.
After a rookie season that saw him come to the Jets with much fanfare as the "YAC King," Corley failed to make much impact, if any, on the offense. He played just 83 offensive snaps and eight on special teams for a total of 16 receiving yards and 26 rushing yards.
That isn't ideal, and now with a new regime in with Aaron Glenn and Tanner Engstrand, Justin Fried of Jets Press thinks that Corley's time in New York might already be up.
"Corley enters training camp firmly on the roster bubble following a disastrous rookie campaign," Fried wrote. "He will have an opportunity to carve out a role in a thin receiving corps this summer, but he's already off to a poor start with this new regime. We may have already seen the last of him in New York."
New York Jets wide receiver Malachi Corley
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
We don't often see a team part ways with a rookie who is on a cheap contract, and we expect Glenn and Co. will give Corley the chance to prove himself in Year 2, because they haven't seen him in pads yet.
So, training camp looms as a big deal for Malachi, and given the state of the receiver room with only Garrett Wilson, Josh Reynolds, and Allen Lazard as Justin Fields' top weapons, there is a spot open for someone to make their own.
Is that Corley?
Based on Fried's comments, it has to be. Otherwise, the "YAC King" won't be a Jet for much longer.