Elijah Moore was back on the field for the Jets Sunday, taking 10 snaps on offense and getting one target, which did not result in a catch.
After the game, he finally spoke about the trade request that caused him to be inactive in Week 7…and apologized for it being a distraction to his teammates.
"What happened with me, I can't change that, so I just only wish it didn't cause so much of a distraction for my teammates," Moore said. “There's things behind the scenes that a lot of people don't really know about, which is not all necessarily bad but there's a lot of conversations that need to stay in house. So I feel good about where I'm at.”
The ‘in-house’ aspect is also why he wouldn’t reveal why he asked for a trade in the first place.
"At the end of the day, man, this is like a legacy," Moore said. "I love football a lot, and I know a lot of people do. And like I said, there's a lot of things behind the scenes I'd rather keep inside that happen towards my reaction for that. So it is what it is."
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Moore had 43 catches for 538 yards and five touchdowns in 11 games last season. He had 16 catches for 203 yards in the first six games this season, but saw his target share and usage dwindle all the way down to the point where he wasn’t targeted at all in Green Bay.
That led to the trade request, a week off, and then, on Sunday, limited participation, but as he said multiple times: it is what it is at this point, and what it is right now is him as a Jet.
"It doesn't really matter, I’m here, and while I'm here, I want to do the best I can. I want to help my teammates out,” he said. “I love all my brothers. We didn't get the win today, but we're trying to focus on the next game."
Head coach Robert Saleh said nothing but positive things about Moore over the last two weeks, including about his work ethic, and for now, that’s what Moore plans to show the Jets as the season rolls on.
“I attack every day with the same preparation as I did before,” Moore said. “I put my best foot forward, so I'm just trying to see what I can do every time I get in the game. That's all I'm focused on."
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
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