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In the span of one day, bouncing between two shows on the same network, Robby Anderson went from sounding like he expected to be back with the Jets, to sounding like he was already halfway out the door.

But the truth is that his situation, with just a week until the free-agent market opens, hasn't really changed much at all.

Anderson was right when he said on Tuesday that the Jets "definitely want me back," but they only want him back if the price is right. And Anderson knows that when free agency opens next Wednesday he could be the top receiver available, which could make his price very, very high.

Anderson, in an appearance on ESPN's SportsCenter on Wednesday morning, said teams have been telling his agent "I'm their ideal guy of who they do want." That may be true, but the larger point is he could be everyone's best available option.

The only other free agent receiver clearly better than Anderson is Amari Cooper, and he could end up getting the transition tag from the Dallas Cowboys. And the only other comparable one is Emmanuel Sanders, who will turn 33 next week.

That puts the 26-year-old Anderson in a very good position - possibly one that could land him a long-term contract worth $13-14 million per season. The Jets are interested in bringing him back, a source said, but would prefer to keep his price down near the $10 million-per-year range.

It's unclear if anything can keep Anderson's price that low, though, especially since he seems to understand his value is high. Perhaps the Jets' only hope is that the receiver class in the draft is very deep and many teams believe they can fill their needs at that position somewhere in the first three rounds. There has been some thought that the glut of draftable talent could keep the receiver prices down in free agency.

It's unclear, though, if that will affect the free agents like Anderson at the top of the list.

The Jets do have a few more days to exclusively negotiate, though. The two sides will likely keep in touch right up until the deadline. And it certainly helps the Jets' cause that Anderson seems to have a sincere interest in coming back.

"I truly do want to be back with the Jets," Anderson said on ESPN's NFL Live on Tuesday. "I love Sam Darnold. I love my teammates, Jamal (Adams) and all those guys. I feel like there's unfinished business there that I've been trying to get done since I got there. I would hope to finish out the mission, all in all. But it's a business."

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