Elijah Moore broke his silence on his Jets trade request Sunday when he met with the media after Gang Green's 22-17 loss to the New England Patriots.
"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 after he was targeted once but did not record a reception as the Pats (4-4) snapped a four-game winning streak by the Jets (5-3). "So it is what it is.
"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. I attack every day with the same preparation as I did before. 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. That's all I'm focused on."
Why did Moore ask out of New York?
"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."
Moore, whom the Jets selected from Ole Miss with the No. 34 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, has started 6 of 7 games this season and caught 16 passes for 203 yards (12.7 average).
"It doesn't really matter," said Moore, who recorded 43 receptions for 538 yards (12.5 average) and five touchdowns in 11 games (six starts) as a rookie during the Jets' 2021 season, when asked if he wants to continue his career with Gang Green. "I'm here. And while I'm here, I want to do the best I can. I want to help my teammates out. I love all my brothers. We didn't get the win today, but we're trying to focus on the next game."