Garrett Wilson

Extension Candidate: Garrett Wilson

June 1st, 2025 at 10:17pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The NFL’s wide receiver market hit a new high-water mark this offseason with Ja’Marr Chase receiving $40.25MM per year from the Bengals less than a year after Justin Jefferson became the first WR to reach a $35MM APY. D.K. Metcalf also negotiated a strong deal with the Steelers worth just under $33MM per year.

A rising tide lifts all boats, so the boom in wide receiver pay should benefit a talented 2022 draft class that became extension-eligible this offseason. Leading the pack with 279 receptions for 3,249 yards in the last three season is former No. 10 pick Garrett Wilson, who has started negotiating a long-term deal with the Jets.

Wilson has been New York’s top receiver since he joined the team and projects to play a foundational role in their new offense under offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand. Wilson will also reunite with Ohio State teammate Justin Fields and should be his most trusted target off the bat with little competition for targets. That could position the 24-year-old receiver for a strong 2025 that could significantly raise his price tag if the Jets don’t get an extension done before the season.

Right now, negotiations will likely start around $30MM per year, the low end of the NFL’s WR1 market. Brandon Aiyuk, Tyreek Hill, and Amon-Ra St. Brown are making the same amount, per OverTheCap, and five more wideouts have an APY of $32MM or more.

Wilson seems to belong to the first group. He ranks eighth in receptions and 10th in receiving yards among WRs since 2022 with at least 1,000 receiving yards in each year. However, his career-best 2024 numbers don’t come close to Aiyuk, Hill, or St. Brown in their best seasons, so Wilson may have trouble arguing that he deserves a bigger contract than all three. Though he won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2022, he has yet to receive Pro Bowl or All-Pro recognition, another factor that will likely keep him from a top-dollar deal.

Wilson can still construct a strong case out of his age, durability, and adaptability and argue that he’s an ascending player who has yet to play his best football. He will turn 25 this year after appearing in all 51 of the Jets’ regular-season games since being drafted despite his slight 185-pound frame. He has also demonstrated clear growth into a WR1 role with 83, 95, and 101 receptions in his first three years with noticeable improvements at the catch point last season. (Wilson posted a 56.5% catch rate in 2022 and 2023; in 2024, it jumped to 65.6%.)

However, Wilson has not been especially efficient in the pros. He ranks 19th among all WRs in yards per game (63.7) since 2022 with a pedestrian 6.93 yards per target. He has also struggled to reach the end zone with just 14 career touchdowns on 469 targets.

Advanced metrics from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) tell a similar story. Wilson’s 51.7% contested catch rate in 2024 was a career-high, but only ranked 20th among receivers with at least 85 targets. His 1.69 yards per route run ranked 32nd in that same group, though he did lead all WRs with 25 missed tackles forced after the catch.

Wilson’s production alone would likely place his next contract just outside the top 10 at his position (and therefore under $30MM per year), but context is important. The Jets’ offense around him has been terrible with three straight bottom-10 finishes in yards per game, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. Costello also pointed out that Wilson has caught passes from eight different quarterbacks on plays called by three different coaches; his best passer was a clearly aging Aaron Rodgers in 2024 playing some of the worst football of his career. (It’s still worth noting that Wilson’s production remained largely the same with Rodgers under center, partially due to expanded competition for targets from Davante Adams.)

Fields certainly isn’t a more proven quarterback than Rodgers, but he already has a rapport with Wilson that Rodgers was never able to establish. Wilson should also benefit from Engstrand’s schematic influence after he coached Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams to breakouts in his last role as the Lions passing game coordinator.

As a result, a long-term contract in the neighborhood of $30MM per year could end up looking like a steal if Wilson takes his game to the next level in 2025. He may recognize that and adjust his demands accordingly, but the Jets have some leverage after picking up his $16.8MM fifth-year option for 2026. Wilson cannot earn more than $20MM in the next two years unless he signs a long-term extension, which should also come with upwards of $50MM in guaranteed money. The former first-round pick may still choose to bet on himself with the hopes of breaking into the upper echelon of WR contracts next offseason.

Extension Talks Between Jets, WR Garrett Wilson Underway; CB Sauce Gardner Aiming For Record-Setting Deal

June 1st, 2025 at 10:10pm CST by Rory Parks

An April report indicated the Jets would explore extensions for 2022 first-rounders Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson (along with 2021 first-round choice Alijah Vera-Tucker) after the 2025 draft. Now that the draft is over, it is fair to expect those talks to get underway.

As for Wilson, ESPN’s Rich Cimini says negotiations are in the early stages, and he anticipates the discussions will become more involved in training camp. Prior reports noted it may be difficult for the parties to agree on the appropriate compensation for the wide receiver, because while he has put up strong numbers (three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons), his surface-level statistics would not seem to make him a candidate for a top-of-the-market accord.

On the other hand, Wilson’s talent is undeniable, and he has managed his production with poor-to-mediocre quarterback play. As such, Cimini believes the Ohio State product will be looking for a $30MM/year deal, which would effectively place him in a four-way tie with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Tyreek Hill, and Brandon Aiyuk for sixth place on the WR market (the average annual value on St. Brown’s contract is $30.0025MM).

Perceived tension with former QB Aaron Rodgers and a role impacted by 2024 trade acquisition Davante Adams seemed to put Wilson’s New York future in doubt not too long ago. However, Rodgers and Adams are gone, and Wilson recently expressed his desire to remain with the Jets for the rest of his career.

Gardner has echoed those sentiments, and Cimini confirms the two-time First Team All-Pro cornerback is, like his 2022 draftmate, looking to hit or exceed the $30MM/year threshold. In the case of the CB market, though, that AAV would make Gardner the highest-paid player at his position.

Cimini does not indicate whether Gardner negotiations have begun in earnest, but previous reports suggested talks with the 24-year-old defender are not expected to be as challenging as those with Wilson. Derek Stingley Jr. ’s three-year, $90MM pact with the Texans (featuring roughly $48MM in full guarantees) presently tops the cornerback hierarchy, and despite a regression last season, player and team understand Gardner will command at least that much (Cimini predictably confirms Gardner is using Stingley’s deal as his benchmark in extension discussions).

The Jets made the easy decision to exercise the fifth-year options for both players, and the fact that Gardner has earned two Pro Bowl berths in his young career placed him in the top bracket for such options. The transaction puts him in line for a fully-guaranteed $20.19MM salary in 2026, though it would not be surprising to see a record-setting contract in place well before then (especially given the importance of a true CB1 in new head coach Aaron Glenn’s man-heavy scheme). Wilson, meanwhile, has locked in a $16.82MM salary for 2025.

As Cimini observes, the Jets will be near the top of the league in cap space on June 2, when Rodgers and C.J. Mosley – both released with post-June 1 designations earlier this offseason – officially come off the books. Those moves will free up $22.8MM of room, so there will be plenty of financial flexibility to get deals done with Gardner and Wilson (and perhaps Vera-Tucker as well).

WR Garrett Wilson Hoping For Jets Extension

May 22nd, 2025 at 9:40pm CST by Ben Levine

While there were rumblings of a potential trade request towards the end of the 2024 season, Garrett Wilson is now making it clear he wants to stick in New York. The extension-eligible receiver told reporters today that he doesn’t only want to sign a new deal with the Jets…he hopes to spend the rest of his career with the organization.

“I’m hopeful I’m a Jet for life and that we get this thing rolling and that all of our best days are ahead of us,” Wilson said (via ESPN’s Rich Cimini).

After spending the start of his career dealing with subpar QB play, frustrations mounted after the Jets failed to meet expectations during the 2024 campaign. Wilson’s issues were attributed to perceived tension with Aaron Rodgers and competition for targets from midseason acquisition Davante Adams, and there was speculation that the organizational friction could lead to a trade request.

Instead, Rodgers and Adams are both out of town, and it sounds like the Jets made a pair of offseason moves that have Wilson excited for the future. According to Cimini, the addition of Aaron Glenn has “infused the organization with hope,” and the new head coach has made it clear to the wideout that he’ll be a focal point of the offense. Wilson was also quick to laud new QB Justin Fields, with the receiver pointing to the duo’s “trust” and “communication.”

With the organization having appeared to mend fences with their star wideout, they can now look towards negotiations. While Wilson has managed to top 1,000 yards receiving in each of his three NFL seasons, sources believed the Ohio State product wouldn’t top the market at his position, with some pointing to an AAV around $25MM to $30MM.

Wilson would likely push for that $30MM threshold that’s recently been surpassed by a number of extended wideouts. A $30MM AAV would rank seventh at the position with Brandon Aiyuk and Tyreek Hill. Of course, there’s no rush for contract talks, as Wilson still has two years remaining on his rookie pact after having his fifth-year option exercised. When the time comes to get serious about negotiations, the receiver is hopeful he’ll give the front office no choice but to hand him a new deal.

“When the time does come and those conversations are being had,” Wilson said (via Cimini). “I’m going to try and do my part to make sure that it’s undeniable.”

2026 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker

May 1st, 2025 at 11:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

NFL teams have until May 1 to officially pick up fifth-year options on 2022 first-rounders. The 2020 CBA revamped the option structure and made them fully guaranteed, rather than guaranteed for injury only. Meanwhile, fifth-year option salaries are now determined by a blend of performance- and usage-based benchmarks:

Two-time Pro Bowlers (excluding alternates) will earn the same as their position’s franchise tag
One-time Pro Bowlers will earn the equivalent of the transition tag
Players who achieve any of the following will receive the average of the third-20th-highest salaries at their position:
- At least a 75% snap rate in two of their first three seasons
- A 75% snap average across all three seasons
- At least 50% in each of first three seasons
Players who do not hit any of those benchmarks will receive the average of the third-25th top salaries at their position

We covered how last year’s Pro Bowl invites affected the 2022 first-round class. With the deadline looming, we will use the space below to track all the 2026 option decisions from around the league:

DE/OLB Travon Walker, Jaguars ($14.75MM): Exercised
DE/OLB Aidan Hutchinson, Lions ($19.87MM): Exercised
CB Derek Stingley Jr., Texans ($17.6MM): Extended through 2029
CB Sauce Gardner, Jets ($20.19MM): Exercised
OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux, Giants ($14.75MM): Exercised
T Ikem Ekwonu, Panthers ($17.56MM): Exercised
T Evan Neal, Giants ($16.69MM): Declined
WR Drake London, Falcons ($16.82MM): Exercised
T Charles Cross, Seahawks ($17.56MM): Exercised
WR Garrett Wilson, Jets ($16.82MM): Exercised
WR Chris Olave, Saints ($15.49MM): Exercised
WR Jameson Williams, Lions ($15.49MM): Exercised
DT Jordan Davis, Eagles ($12.94MM): Exercised
S Kyle Hamilton, Ravens ($18.6MM): Exercised
G Kenyon Green, Eagles* ($16.69MM): Declined
WR Jahan Dotson, Eagles** ($16.82MM): Declined
G Zion Johnson, Chargers ($17.56MM): Declined
WR Treylon Burks, Titans ($15.49MM): Declined
T Trevor Penning, Saints ($16.69MM): Declined
QB Kenny Pickett, Browns*** ($22.12MM): Declined
CB Trent McDuffie, Chiefs ($17.6MM): Exercised
LB Quay Walker, Packers ($14.75MM): Declined
CB Kaiir Elam, Cowboys**** ($12.68MM): Declined
G Tyler Smith, Cowboys ($20.99MM): Exercised
C Tyler Linderbaum, Ravens ($20.99MM): Declined
DE Jermaine Johnson, Jets ($13.92MM): Exercised
LB Devin Lloyd, Jaguars ($14.75MM): Exercised
DT Devonte Wyatt, Packers ($12.94MM): Exercised
G Cole Strange, Patriots ($16.69MM): Declined
DE George Karlaftis, Chiefs ($15.12MM): Exercised
DB Dax Hill, Bengals ($12.68MM): Exercised
S Lewis Cine, Vikings: N/A

* = traded from Texans on March 11, 2025
** = traded from Commanders on August 22, 2024
*** = traded from Eagles on March 15, 2024; traded from Steelers on March 10, 2025
**** = traded from Bills to Cowboys on March 12, 2025

Jets To Exercise Fifth-Year Options On Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, Jermaine Johnson

April 21st, 2025 at 11:32am CST by Adam La Rose

Plenty of attention remains focused on the draft at this point, but the deadline for fifth-year option decisions is looming as well. When speaking to the media on Monday, Jets general manager Darren Mougey made it clear all three of the team’s first-rounders from 2022 will remain in place for at least two more years.

Mougey said the Jets will pick up the fifth-year option on cornerback Sauce Gardner, receiver Garrett Wilson and edge rusher Jermaine Johnson. In all three cases, the news comes as no surprise. Johnson’s Achilles tear did not create an expectation New York would choose to put him on track for free agency next spring; Gardner and Wilson, meanwhile, profile as logical extension candidates.

As a two-time Pro Bowler, Gardner qualifies for the most lucrative tier regarding his 2026 option year. The No. 4 pick in 2022 will therefore earn $21.19MM on the option. Plenty of time still exists for a long-term extension to be worked out, of course, and in that case Gardner would be in line for much higher earnings. The top of the cornerback market recently reached $30MM in annual compensation thanks to Derek Stingley Jr.‘s Texans extension.

Gardner earned first-team All-Pro honors during each of his first two campaigns, helping his case to become the league’s highest earner at the CB spot when he first became eligible for a second contract. The 24-year-old was unable to match his success in 2024, but with 40 career pass breakups and a better track record with respect to availability than Stingley, he has a strong case to reset the position’s market. Gardner has publicly expressed a desire to remain in New York for the long term.

Wilson’s future seemed less certain at times last season, with the acquisition of Davante Adams affecting his role in the Jets’ passing attack. Neither Adams nor Aaron Rodgers are in the fold anymore, though, and Wilson will be reunited with former college teammate Justin Fields in 2025. It remains to be seen how effective that tandem will be, but Wilson has managed at least 1,042 yards in each of his first three seasons despite underwhelming QB play for the Jets during that span.

The receiver market has surged in recent years, and Ja’Marr Chase now leads the way at $40.25MM per season. Wilson, 24, would be hard-pressed to reach that figure on an extension, but he could command a deal worth much more than the $16.82MM he is scheduled to earn in 2026. Once the draft has concluded, extension talks with Gardner and Wilson (along with offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker) will begin.

Johnson handled a rotational role along the edge as a rookie, but he took on a much larger workload in 2023 and took a step forward with 7.5 sacks. His performance that year resulted in a Pro Bowl nod and created high expectations for the 2024 campaign. Johnson was limited to just a pair of games as a result of his injury, though, and it would come as no surprise if the Jets waited until he returned to action to explore a long-term arrangement. For now, the Florida State product is on track to collect $13.41MM in 2026.

Teams have until May 1 to decide on fifth-year options. It will take until that date for clarity to emerge one way or the other in many cases, but with respect to the Jets questions related to the short-term futures of the Gardner-Wilson-Johnson trio can now be put to rest.

Jets To Explore Extensions For CB Sauce Gardner, WR Garrett Wilson, OL Alijah Vera-Tucker After Draft

April 6th, 2025 at 10:56am CST by Rory Parks

Two members of the Jets’ young core, foundational talents Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson, are extension-eligible for the first time. While new deals for the club’s top two selections of the 2022 draft are not imminent, Connor Hughes of SNY.tv expects negotiations to commence at some point after this month’s draft.

Hughes had previously reported that the Gardner talks are likely to be straightforward. Despite a bit of a regression in his third professional season, there is seemingly no concern over Gardner’s ability to regain the elite form he displayed in his first two campaigns. As such, he is going to reset the cornerback market, which is currently paced by Derek Stingley’s new deal with the Texans that features a $30MM AAV and roughly $48MM in full guarantees.

Coming to terms on a price point for Wilson could prove more difficult. Wilson has had to make do with poor to mediocre quarterback play since entering the league, so even though he has managed to record over 1,000 receiving yards in each of his three NFL seasons, he is not viewed as a player who will top the exploding WR market. Hughes spoke with a few league sources who predicted the Ohio State product would land an AAV between $25MM-$30MM whenever he puts pen to paper.

As of the time of this writing, that would put Wilson somewhere between the 7th- and 12th-highest-paid earner at the receiver position. Tyreek Hill and Brandon Aiyuk earn $30MM per year (with Amon-Ra St. Brown barely above that threshold), while DeVonta Smith earns $25MM per year.

Sometimes forgotten in the extension rumors is offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker, a 2021 first-rounder who is entering the fifth-year option season of his rookie deal and is presently on track for free agency in 2026. ESPN’s Rich Cimini says new GM Darren Mougey will also examine Vera-Tucker’s contract situation after the upcoming draft.

AVT missed significant time due to injury in 2022 and 2023 but rebounded to play 15 games last season. When he has been on the field, he has been a quality blocker and has seen action and both tackle spots and both guard spots.

That said, he only covered LT and RT as a result of injuries to other players, and last year, he lined up exclusively at RG. It sounds like he will stay there for the long haul, as Mougey says he views Vera-Tucker as a guard (via Hughes). So even though the club currently has a glaring need at right tackle, Mougey will need to address that need in some other way.

Running back Breece Hall is unlikely to be the subject of offseason extension talks, as was reported previously. The contract-year back has yet to regain the level of explosiveness he displayed in his injury-shortened rookie year, and new head coach Aaron Glenn wants to utilize an RB-by-committee approach that features Hall, Braelon Allen, and Isaiah Davis (via Cimini). That would stand to limit Hall’s production in his platform season, and as Cimini observes, Glenn’s comments could certainly fuel trade speculation.

Despite Hall’s inability to recapture his 2022 form, Cimini believes he would generate interest from rival teams.

Extensions For Jets’ 2022 First-Rounders Not Imminent; Team Unlikely To Explore Early Extension For RB Breece Hall

March 16th, 2025 at 8:11am CST by Rory Parks

There are myriad reasons why the Jets have failed to post an above-.500 record since 2015, but the top of their 2022 draft class is not one of them. CB Sauce Gardner (No. 4 overall pick in 2022), WR Garrett Wilson (No. 10), and DE Jermaine Johnson (No. 26) form a talented young foundation that could help lead the club back to playoff contention, and that trio is now extension-eligible for the first time.

Gardner, 24, took a step back last year after earning First Team All-Pro acclaim in each of his first two pro seasons. Still, a player who possesses his youth and talent and who plays a premium position can command a massive second contract, and the Cincinnati product has made clear his desire to sign such a contract with the Jets.

“I want to be part of this for a long time,“ Gardner said back in January. “I want to be part of the change in this organization.“

Wilson, also 24, seemed a bit more reticent about his future with New York, at least partially because of perceived tension with quarterback Aaron Rodgers and competition for targets with 2024 deadline acquisition Davante Adams. However, with the club having released both of the former Packers standouts, it is believed Wilson is more amenable to a long-term relationship with Gang Green (which could be especially true now that he has been reunited with college teammate Justin Fields; ESPN’s Rich Cimini details the close relationship the former Buckeyes enjoy).

Johnson, 26, was limited to just two games in 2024 due to an Achilles tear, though he totaled 7.5 sacks, 25 pressures, and a forced fumble in 2023, his first season as a full-time starter. The Jets are expected to exercise his fifth-year option for 2026, and Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic (subscription required) confirms that the team plans to exercise the option for all three of its 2022 first-rounders (picking up the Gardner and Wilson options is a particularly easy call for new GM Darren Mougey to make).

Naturally, the players themselves want to land lucrative extensions sooner rather than later, while the Jets may not feel as pressured since they can keep all three under club control through 2026 via the fifth-year option and can put the franchise tag on one of them for the 2027 season. On the other hand, as Connor Hughes of SNY.tv observes, locking up a player when they are first eligible sends a positive message to the player and the team as a whole, and it can get a second contract out of the way before markets for certain positions soar even higher.

Hughes believes Mougey is more amenable than his predecessor, Joe Douglas, to entertain an early extension. Douglas was not necessarily adverse to the idea; in order for him to green-light such a deal, though, he wanted certain concessions from the player (lower guarantees, longer contract term, etc.). Mougey may not be as demanding in that regard.

That could spell good news for the Gardner/Wilson/Johnson triumvirate. But Hughes – in a piece that was published before free agency got underway – said no extensions are imminent.

At this year’s scouting combine, in response to a question about whether he would sign off on extensions for Gardner and Wilson, Mougey said, “[t]he to-do list is to keep good young players on the team and add good players, so yeah” (via Cimini).

Cimini observes that Mougey did not set a concrete date for talks to commence, and he also points out that cornerbacks and wide receivers have not generally received new deals prior to their fourth NFL season. That said, recent contracts authorized for players like Patrick Surtain II, Jaylen Waddle, and DeVonta Smith could indicate the league is changing its modus operandi.

According to Hughes, the negotiations for Gardner are expected to be straightforward. Despite not earning any Pro Bowl or All-Pro accolades for his 2024 work, there is no doubt he will reset the CB market. Wilson will be trickier, because although he is a terrific player, it could be difficult to pinpoint exactly where he falls in the league’s WR hierarchy (and of course he could value himself differently than the Jets do).

None of the writers cited above mention Johnson’s name in connection with an extension in the near future. His Achilles injury certainly muddies the waters a bit, and player and team may prefer to wait to see how he rebounds before engaging in substantive contract talks.

Similarly, Rosenblatt says it is unlikely the Jets pursue an early extension for running back Breece Hall (who, as a 2022 second-rounder, is is not subject to a fifth-year option and is therefore eligible for free agency in 2026). Hall was electric in his rookie season, turning 80 carries into 463 yards (5.8 YPC) and four rushing TDs. ACL and meniscus tears ended that promising showing early, and while he rebounded to play a full 17-game slate in 2023, he was not quite as explosive (though his 4.5 YPC average was still strong).

His efficiency dipped again in 2024, as he posted a 4.2 YPC rate over 209 carries. He continues to be a valuable receiving weapon, as he has notched 133 receptions for 1,074 yards and seven receiving scores over the past two seasons, but the dynamo that took the league by (an admittedly brief) storm in 2022 has not resurfaced.

Two 2024 draftees, Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis, are under contract through 2027 and could represent the Jets’ long-term future at the RB position.

Jets Likely To Release Allen Lazard; Garrett Wilson’s Future Less In Doubt?

February 16th, 2025 at 10:14pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Jets are officially set to part ways with Aaron Rodgers. To little surprise, that decision is expected to also include the departure of wideout Davante Adams after his brief Rodgers reunion at the end of the 2024 campaign.

Acquiring Adams was one of many moves the Jets made aimed at providing Rodgers with former Packers teammates; one of the others was the free agent addition of Allen Lazard. That four-year, $44MM investment did not pay of as expected, and the decision to release Rodgers could very well see Lazard cut as well. ESPN’s Rich Cimini writes Lazard (along with Adams) will “probably” be released in the near future.

Such a move from the new regime of general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn would not come as a surprise. Lazard came to New York with high expectations after his final Packers campaign saw him post career-highs in receptions (60) and yards (788). In 2023, though, the 29-year-old’s production saw a steep decline. A full season from Rodgers this past year brought about a return to an extent of Lazard’s impact (including six receiving touchdowns), but on the whole his tenure has not gone as planned.

Lazard is owed a non-guaranteed base salary of $11MM in 2025 and ’26; releasing him before June 1 would essentially create an even split between cap savings and dead money. Taking the post-June 1 route – as the team will likely do in Rodgers’ case -would give the Jets $11MM in savings against a small dead cap charge, but those funds would not be freed up until June 2. Parting ways with Adams and Lazard would leave receiver as a position of focus this offseason, but Garrett Wilson‘s future with the organization may become less of a talking point moving forward.

The latter was connected to a potential trade request late in the season, with perceived tension with Rodgers and competition for targets from Adams seen as key reasons. With Wilson set to no longer have Rodgers as a teammate or (presumably) Adams vying for the top spot on the WR depth chart, though, Cimini notes that Wilson is likely to be more amenable to making a long-term Jets commitment. The 2022 Offensive Rookie of the Year is eligible for an extension for the first time this offseason, and his production given the level of quarterback play New York has had over his three-year career could put him line for a major raise.

Wilson, 24, has topped 1,000 yards in each of his Jets campaigns. He will be expected to remain a focal point of New York’s passing attack through at least 2026, since the team will no doubt exercise his $16.63MM fifth-year option this spring provided no trade request emerges over the coming weeks. A long-term accord would check in at a much higher price tag given the upward trend in the receiver market over the past few years. Questions about the Ohio State product’s willingness to remain with the Jets will no doubt linger until such a pact is worked out, but if the new decision-makers start over on offense Wilson will remain a central figure for the unit.

Latest On Garrett Wilson’s Jets Future

December 29th, 2024 at 9:39am CST by Sam Robinson

During the 2022 offseason, the Jets explored several avenues to upgrade at wide receiver. This included making trade offers for Tyreek Hill and Deebo Samuel and also pursuing the likes of A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalf and Amari Cooper. The route the team ended up taking provided early promise, but it has suddenly brought hiccups.

After two seasons with a bottom-tier quarterback targeting him, Garrett Wilson has seen Aaron Rodgers stay healthy and deliver a competent season — albeit one far off his MVP-level work from earlier this decade. Rodgers has peppered Wilson with targets, throwing him 141 passes — fourth-most in the NFL after Week 16 — and has the former Offensive Rookie of the Year on pace for his third 1,000-yard season. But Wilson’s happiness in New York has been in question for a bit.

Wilson joined Breece Hall in expressing disappointment in then-OC Nathaniel Hackett during the 2023 season, and Davante Adams has since usurped Wilson — as could be expected given the trade pickup’s history with Rodgers — as the Jets’ top receiving option. Wilson drew three targets before the Jets’ final drive in their loss to the Rams on Sunday and displayed frustration after the game. This came after Wilson and wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson argued during the team’s Week 15 win over the Jaguars.

Wilson added that a new Jets regime would have “no impact” on his desire to stay or go; that response mirrored what the third-year wideout said about the team keeping or jettisoning Rodgers in 2025. A recent report, however, indicated it would not surprise if Wilson requested a trade soon, and the New York Post’s Brian Costello notes speculation from informed parties points to a trade request coming. With Costello adding this situation appears “headed toward a divorce.”

“I’m gonna worry about these last two games and see what happens, man. I’m not gonna speak on that,” Wilson said (via the New York Post’s Steve Serby) when asked about a potential trade request. “All that’s out of my control. I just gotta play my part, and try to win games for this organization.”

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears that the Wilson-Rodgers relationship is not in a good place, and even when Wilson was receiving the lion’s share of Rodgers’ targets prior to the arrival of Adams, there were questions about whether the QB and his third-year receiver could fully reconcile after their training camp “blowup.” According to Rapoport, if the Jets choose to retain Rodgers — which is more of a possibility in light of his improved play down the stretch — they would likely retain Adams as well, and a Wilson trade request would certainly be on the table at that point.

Rich Cimini of ESPN.com says that, while the Jets have grown tired of Wilson’s frustration, it should be noted that Wilson is not necessarily frustrated by the number of targets he has received, but the quality of them. Since Adams joined the club, Wilson has received only eight red-zone looks, compared to 17 for Adams. Wilson’s overall target total is also skewed a bit by the 23-target game he enjoyed in a Week 5 (pre-Adams) loss to the Vikings.

If the Jets do part ways with Wilson, it would still represent a strange unraveling, as Wilson is about to go three-for-three in 1,000-yard seasons. The Jets have, however, been quick to move on from young starters via trade in the not-so-distant past. The team dealt Sam Darnold in 2021, Jamal Adams in 2020, Leonard Williams in 2019 and Sheldon Richardson in 2017. Joe Douglas was involved in three of those swaps, but the Jets have since canned their GM and are early in the interview process to replace him. That said, the perception of how this franchise is run has taken substantial hits this year. And it is not slowing down.

Following an explosive report from The Athletic regarding Woody Johnson‘s outsized role in personnel, Cimini confirms the owner’s teenage sons, Jack and Brick Johnson, are “very much involved” in football matters. Woody Johnson has already been accused of listening to his sons’ Madden-based assessments on players — Jerry Jeudy among them — and the two are believed to have made their voices known in the locker room after games as well. The Jets have denied the Johnson sons play any such roles, but these reports will not do well to attract GM and HC candidates.

These reports also could alienate players, though the Jets still have plenty of control with Wilson, who can be kept on his rookie deal through 2026 via the fifth-year option. The team also has option decisions on Sauce Gardner and Jermaine Johnson coming in May. No trade noise has circled the defenders, but this has become attached to Wilson. With Adams’ Big Apple future uncertain, the next Jets football-ops bosses appear to have major issues to navigate at receiver.

Rory Parks contributed to this post.

Jets Notes: Johnson, Rodgers, Hackett

December 20th, 2024 at 10:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Thursday brought a strange revelation from Jets headquarters, bringing Madden into the strange role of roster determinations. Beyond the Jerry Jeudy near-trade quickly becoming one of the odder what-ifs in recent NFL history, the Jets may need to run through some other matters as they attempt to make quality GM and HC hires.

Some of the dysfunction reported does stem from Aaron Rodgers, who effectively kept Nathaniel Hackett employed as the team’s play-caller coming into the season. Before the Jets launched a stealth search for a coach who would cut into Hackett’s duties, The Athletic’s well-detailed Dianna Russini, Zack Rosenblatt and Michael Silver report indicates Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall expressed were not happy with the embattled OC throughout last season (subscription required). This may well have led to a meeting that helped the Rodgers-Woody Johnson relationship reach its present point.

Rumblings circulated that Johnson wanted to fire Hackett after the 2023 season, but Rodgers is believed to have stepped in to prevent that from happening. Rodgers has been close with Hackett since their Green Bay days, long stumping for the veteran OC. This included an offseason meeting with Johnson that “didn’t go over well” with the owner, per The Athletic. Rodgers had brought up this matter with Johnson. Months later, the owner attempted to have the QB benched.

Shortly after that benching effort, Johnson went around GM Joe Douglas and fired Robert Saleh. While Rodgers was accused of being complicit in that ouster, The Athletic notes the quarterback’s conversation with Johnson included a request the owner remain patient with the head coach. This also runs counter to Johnson’s claim the two did not discuss Saleh in that meeting. As could be expected, Rodgers had also told Saleh he disagreed with the then-HC’s decision to demote Hackett — a move interim HC Jeff Ulbrich ended up carrying out anyway.

Going back to Rodgers’ lost 2023 season, the Jets being mathematically eliminated in Week 14 had led Rodgers to cool down his crusade to return from his Achilles tear before season’s end and instead gear up for 2024. This involved continuing to rehab in Los Angeles, but The Athletic adds Johnson pushed the quarterback to come back to New York and return to practice. This prompted the Jets to use one of their injury activations on a player who did not end up playing again. Rodgers expressed disappointment he was activated as it cost fullback Nick Bawden a roster spot. Rodgers said during a Pat McAfee Show appearance the activation — which occurred in Week 16 — was not his idea.

Other strange quarterback incidents have occurred during Johnson’s recent years back from his role as ambassador to the United Kingdom. He is believed to have criticized then-starter Mike White in front of other players, following a Week 17 loss to the Seahawks in which White played through broken ribs. Allegedly saying, “You should throw your helmet; you f—– suck” in reference to White postgame, per Russini, Rosenblatt and Silver. Johnson later apologized to the QB once the owner’s comments eventually got back to him, per a Jets spokesperson. White left in free agency weeks later, leaving the Jets without veteran protection once Rodgers went down.

Postgame criticism from the Johnsons has not been isolated to quarterbacks, as The Athletic adds the owner’s teenage sons — Brick and Jack — were heard “loudly” criticizing multiple players after the Jets’ Week 17 loss to the Browns in 2023. In a separate matter related to access, Johnson also had members of his investment group at Jets draft and free agency meetings this year. These revelations, among others involving access to the team’s locker room, will not exactly endear the Jets to free agents.

Additionally, in a matter perhaps stranger than the Jeudy process, Johnson is believed to have told Douglas to keep the Jets’ Mr. Irrelevant draft choice (No. 257) and instead trade 256 to the Broncos. Denver had asked for No. 257 in the pick-swap trade for Zach Wilson, but the teams ended up finalizing a weeks-long negotiation in a trade that included No. 256 going from Denver to New York. This would be a rather shocking footnote for an eventful Jets year, as this report would have Johnson valuing Mr. Irrelevant-related publicity over a slightly better pick.

White and Wilson are long gone, while Rodgers is viewed as on his way out. But the 2024 Jets draft also included another quarterback, Jordan Travis, chosen in the fifth round. This will amount to a redshirt season for the Florida State alum, who has been on the reserve/NFI list throughout the season. Ulbrich said (via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini) the ankle injury that altered the Seminoles’ CFP hopes last year remains an issue, indicating Travis has suffered setbacks in his recovery this year.

Unlike Hendon Hooker last year, Travis does not appear set to move onto his team’s active roster before season’s end. This would mean Travis’ contract would toll, extending his rookie deal through 2028. Travis has bigger hurdles to navigate in the short term, however.

Johnson is viewed as likely to stay with the Jets following this season. The news of Donald Trump’s second presidential administration tabbing someone else (banker Warren Stevens) as the UK ambassador surprised Johnson, according to The Athletic. The owner will continue to play the lead role in hiring a coach and GM, doing so after brother Christopher Johnson hired Douglas and Saleh. Some hesitation from candidates certainly could be part of the fallout from recent events becoming public.

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