Elijah Moore having fun again, and Jets are happy about it, too

Mike LaFleur has noticed something in Elijah Moore lately that wasn’t there earlier this season.

“His smile,” the Jets’ offensive coordinator said.

Moore has had a difficult second season with the Jets, but the ultra-talented 22-year-old wide receiver is enjoying himself again.

He went from being a forgotten man in the offense — and viewed as a disgruntled employee for expressing frustration on Twitter after an October game in Green Bay and requesting a trade — to being a productive player again.

In the past three weeks, Moore caught his first touchdown pass of the season and set season highs in targets, catches and receiving yards.

“He’s having fun out there,” LaFleur said. “He’s just in a good place. I thought he came back after the bye and he talked himself into making sure he’s having fun out there. It all correlates. When you just have a positive attitude and you’re excited to come to work every day, good stuff is usually going to follow.”

Moore, a second-round pick from Ole Miss in 2021, led the Jets in receiving yards (538) and total touchdowns (six) as a rookie. His versatility made him a Swiss Army knife in the Jets’ offense. LaFleur lined Moore up everywhere and used him on jet sweeps.

Big things were expected of Moore in Year 2. What actually happened came out of nowhere, and it got ugly.

Moore caught a total of 15 passes for 192 yards in the Jets’ first four games. Then he stopped getting the ball, stopped being targeted. In his next five games, Moore caught three passes for 28 yards.

During that time, he was active on social media about his lack of involvement. He also got into a heated exchange with LaFleur before a practice, and Moore was sent home by Robert Saleh after it reached “a boiling point.” Moore later asked to be traded, and Saleh told Moore to stay home when the Jets traveled to Denver for their next game,

The Jets didn’t entertain moving him, though. They envisioned Moore and Garrett Wilson, a top candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year, developing into a dynamic duo. They’re starting to show flashes.

Wilson has No. 1 receiver talent. He leads the Jets in catches (63) and receiving yards (868). Wilson’s emergence led to fewer targets for Moore, but he’s becoming a factor again. Moore has 10 catches in the last three games. He was targeted 10 times and caught six passes for 60 yards last week in Buffalo.

“I don’t really know what’s changed,” Moore said. “I attack every day with the same mindset. I’m super-positive. I just focus on whenever my number’s called to make the play.”

One big change: Mike White was the quarterback the last three games and spread the ball around. White got to Moore in his progressions, but the same couldn’t be said for Zach Wilson. Moore was targeted only 13 times by Wilson in the six games they’ve played together.

When the Jets face the Lions on Sunday, Wilson will be back under center because team doctors didn’t clear White for contact after he suffered a rib injury last week.

With Wilson running the offense, it will be interesting to see if Moore continues to be involved and if his joy about everything persists.

There’s no denying that Moore has been happier and more carefree lately. Last week, he interrupted White’s news conference to playfully ask his quarterback a question about the receiver room.

“It almost feels like he’s just let go, in terms of he’s just going out, having fun and just playing football,” Saleh said. “He is playing with almost like a free release of just, ‘Screw it, I’m going to play, I’m going to have fun, I’m going to cheer my team on, I’m going to be who I am’ — and that’s who he is.

“He is basically the person who we drafted in terms of just that mindset and dominating the things he’s got control over. Because of it, he’s just been progressively getting faster and faster and more precise in his route-running.”

Moore is a religious young man who leans on his faith in times of struggle and spends a lot of time praying. He gives all the credit to God for helping him get through his earlier strife and become a dependable, positive and productive teammate.

“I love football,” he said. “Anything when football is going left is going to be hard for me. I always shake back because I don’t lean on me. I don’t lean on my feelings. I lean on God. Just getting that word for me, that’s what fills my cup up.”

Moore thinks he’s a better person now for having gone through it.

“It’s not about what is going on right now,” he said. “There’s a lot of things that could take place that’s happening for the reason for me to learn. It’s not specifically just for football. It could be for life. You got to take it all in. The person that I am right now versus how I was a month ago is better. I’m just grateful. I wouldn’t change anything.

“The obstacles and everything you go through, I feel like it helps. You have a story to tell. What is a story without any obstacles? No one wants to always hear everything positive. You can’t really help anybody through stuff. Life doesn’t go that way.”

LaFleur has always been in Moore’s corner. He’s very impressed with how Moore has handled this situation and come back a better person and player.

“He’s a great kid and he works his butt off,” LaFleur said. “It stinks, and it’s not even his fault. It’s no one’s fault. It’s what happened.

“He’s still going to continue to grow. We’ve had those talks. Just because you’re getting into your second year doesn’t mean everyone’s got it all figured out yet. There’s always going to be growth.

“He went through a period that was just difficult for him. It was a great learning experience. You don’t want to ever have to go through that, but he did. He battled through it. We battled through it as an offense. He’s in a great place. I’m really happy for him.”

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.