New York Jets players encouraged Malachi Corley to develop a short-term memory after the rookie wide receiver allowed his first career NFL touchdown to slip through his fingertips – quite literally.

On the first play in the second quarter of the Jets’ 21-13 win over the Houston Texans, quarterback Aaron Rodgers faked a handoff to running back Breece Hall and flipped the ball to Corley on a reverse end-around.

The trick play worked to perfection, as Corley sprinted 18 yards behind several Jets blockers and waltzed into the end zone untouched. Yet moments before breaking the plane, he let go of the ball, which rolled out of bounds. Following a review, officials overturned the initial call of a touchdown, instead ruling it a fumble and touchback for the Texans.

Upon returning to the sideline following the inexcusable mistake, Corley’s teammates encouraged him to keep his head up. “It’s all you can do in that moment,” running back Braelon Allen exclusively told Mirror Sports U.S. after the game. “So I think everybody had some words of encouragement for him.”

Since being selected by the Jets in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Corley has struggled to make a sizable impact during his first season in the league. Over five games played, he’s reeled in just one catch for four yards in addition to his 18-yard carry on Thursday.

Yet the Jets know it will only be a matter of time before Corley breaks out at the professional level. While playing for Western Kentucky from 2020-23, he amassed 259 receptions for 3,033 yards and 29 touchdowns – additionally earning the nickname “YAC King” for his ability to routinely gain chunks of yards after the catch.

Jets players encouraged Malachi Corley to keep his head up following his costly mistake

Jets players encouraged Malachi Corley to keep his head up following his costly mistake ( 

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“[Malachi] my dawg, so I’m gonna be real with him but that’s between me and him,” wide receiver Xavier Gipson said of the advice he gave to Corley. “He’s just excited, he’s turnt, he knew he could do it. He’s been waiting for his opportunity and he got his opportunity, and he did what he was supposed to do, you know, the ‘YAC King.’

“I think he just got too excited to drop the ball early. I almost had that same incident last year. Unfortunately he did that, but it is what it is. Give him the ball again … and let him do his thing.”

Though Corley was understandably angry on the heels of his costly mistake, tight end Jeremy Ruckert implored him to not dwell on the past. “It happened, you can’t really go back and fix it. Just know all you can control is how you respond to it, and moving forward you learn from it,” he said.

“So, I think the biggest thing for him is just not to dwell on it. Obviously it’s something we can’t have, especially in these games, but not to get beat up on it and let it hinder the rest of the game for everybody.

“I just told him [to] forget it, just keep being who he is and keep being that good teammate for everybody and have that positive energy.”