Jets' Malachi Corley makes promise to Jeff Ulbrich after viral mistake

After New York Jets wide receiver Malachi Corley shockingly dropped the ball short of the goal line during what became a 21-13 win over the Houston Texans last Thursday night, Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich said that experience would give the rookie "an amazing opportunity" to "grow and learn." 

Corley addressed the play on Wednesday and made somewhat of a promise to Ulbrich about how he'll handle a similar situation down the road. 

"I’m going to probably hold onto the ball all the way to the sideline and give it to coach [Ulbrich] and let him know that I owed him that one," Corley said, as shared by Brian Costello of the New York Post. 

Per Rich Cimini of ESPN, Corley insisted he doesn't view the moment that went viral on Halloween night as "embarrassing." It likely helps that the Jets bounced back from a poor first-half performance to earn a needed victory that improved them to 3-6 on the season. 

"You take things with a grain of salt," Corley explained. "You play this game for a long time and you see a lot more and a lot less embarrassing things happen on the field. For me, it was a great learning experience overall. I was still extremely excited to run across the end zone line and be able to jet around the field and do all that type of stuff. So it was fun overall."

According to John Flanigan of SNY, Jets general manager Joe Douglas told reporters on Wednesday that he decided to send veteran wide receiver Mike Williams to the Pittsburgh Steelers in return for a 2025 fifth-round draft pick ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline in part because Douglas feels "good" about the team's depth at the position. 

This suggests Corley could see additional targets when the Jets play at the 5-4 Arizona Cardinals this coming Sunday. Thus far, Corley has recorded just one reception for four yards this season.

"He’ll assume more reps and he’ll be part of that receiving corps that is in there to block at times," Ulbrich said about Corley's future involvement in the New York offense. 

As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Jets as one-point favorites over the Cardinals.