Jets GM Joe Douglas shares regret for letting WR Robby Anderson go in free agency

Jets GM Joe Douglas fielded many questions during his media availability on Tuesday, and he was very real about the organization's current struggles. But he was also real about a certain player that walked away from Gang Green this season: Robby Anderson. 

The Jets tried to sign him in free agency, but they really weren't budging with his value on the market. Eventually, Anderson would sign with the Carolina Panthers. And boy, is he loving it down there with already 688 yards through the air halfway through the season. 

Seeing Anderson thriving somewhere else, Douglas admitted his regret for letting the speedy wideout slip away from One Jets Drive. 

"I thought about Robby a lot," Douglas said.

"I think what went wrong with us and Robby, we thought there was no way that — we thought Robby’s value was going to be even greater than he signed for in Carolina. I think that’s on me ultimately and that’s on us moving forward to get a better handle on every player’s market value. Honestly, we would all love to see Robby here doing what he’s doing. I tip my hat to the success he has, but obviously we don’t want to be in the business of losing good players.”

Anderson was a favorite of Sam Darnold's but the Jets ultimately weren't meeting his needs during free agency. As Anderson chose his new team, Breshad Perriman was the fallback option as he was immediately signed to replace him. But Perriman has been battling injury all season and hasn't gotten into a rhythm at all.

Hindsight is 20/20, but the Jets could definitely use Anderson right now with the wide receiving corps a mess for New York. Douglas can only continue rebuilding that group elsewhere, while Anderson keeps doing his thing with Teddy Bridgewater instead of Darnold.