Jets' Garrett Wilson frustrated but still hoping to win with team that drafted him
Garrett Wilson of the Jets catches a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on Dec. 29, 2024 in Orchard Park, N.Y. Credit: Getty Images/Timothy T Ludwig
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Garrett Wilson is a popular name on social media, and he knows it. He sees all of the speculation that he could request a trade from the Jets during the offseason. Wilson, however, said don’t believe anything about him unless he’s the one saying it.
“People are always going to speculate, people [are] always going to think what they want to think, and think they got me figured out,” he told Newsday after practice Thursday. “At the end of the day, I don’t really have much of a reaction to it. It’s why I don’t quote the tweet and address it. It’s just the internet.
“The way I go about things, if things are real, they’ll probably come out of my mouth versus it being a report and stuff like that.”
The NFL Network reported last weekend that if Aaron Rodgers is back with the Jets, Wilson might ask to be moved.
“I don’t pay it much mind,” Wilson said. “Every now and then, I get in the mood where I might address something. But for the most part, especially with the way things been going this year, I don’t pay much attention to it.”
There does seem to be chilliness in the Wilson-Rodgers relationship.
Wilson has aired his frustration about losing and also has had some sideline outbursts when he doesn’t get the football. After a loss to the Rams two weeks ago, he expressed confusion about why he wasn’t more involved in the offense.
When Rodgers was asked about that, he seemed annoyed and indicated he’s had “conversations about it” with Wilson throughout the season.
“It all stems from losing and maybe not playing great ball out there,” Wilson said Thursday. “I’ve been a part of a lot of winning teams and never have I ever been like an afterthought on any of them. It’s always been like I play a part in helping the team win, so there’s a certain expectation level you have to be at to uphold that.”
Wilson is having one of the best seasons for a receiver in Jets history. He has 97 catches for 1,053 yards and seven touchdowns. Passing-game coordinator Todd Downing said Wilson is “just going to continue to grow and keep defensive coordinators awake at night.”
If Wilson catches three passes in Sunday’s finale against Miami, he will join Brandon Marshall as the only Jets with 100 receptions in a season. Marshall caught 109 passes in 2015. Wilson is the second Jet with three straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons (George Sauer, 1966-68) and the first to do it in the first three years of his career.
This means little to Wilson. He’s upset that the Jets are 4-12 and have missed the playoffs in all three years he has played.
“If I’m playing the whole season, I expect to get a thousand yards,” Wilson said. “I’m sure maybe one day I’ll look back on it and be super-proud of it, but as of right now, I wouldn’t say that.”
Wilson is eligible for a contract extension this offseason but hasn’t publicly said he wants to remain a Jet long-term. The team will undergo changes in the front office and to the coaching staff. The new regime may have to smooth over some things with Wilson, but he has two years left on his rookie deal.
Wilson said he still hopes he can win with the Jets.
“Yeah, of course. This is the team that drafted me,” he said. “I want to win. Whatever team I’m part of, even if I’m playing Madden when I get home later today, if I’m controlling the Jaguars, it don’t matter. I want to win.”
Wilson, like everyone else in the Jets’ building, believed they finally would end their playoff drought at 13 years this season. Now it’s at 14, and he doesn’t want to go through a year like this again.
“It’s been a learning experience,” he said. “I don’t think things happen by accident. I don’t think you stumble upon greatness. I don’t think you stumble upon having a bad season. The notes have been taken. I learned a lot. It’s my job to grow from this, to make sure I’m making the right decisions in the future to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
No Jets in Pro Bowl
No Jets made the Pro Bowl for the first time since 2021. Six were named alternates: defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (first), special teams ace Irv Charles (second), edge rusher Will McDonald (third), Wilson (third), cornerback Sauce Gardner (fifth) and kick returner Xavier Gipson (fifth).
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
