Garrett Wilson entered 2024 with massive expectations. After a strong 2023 campaign despite a chaotic quarterback situation, many were hoping for him to take a huge leap with the New York Jets, especially given the return of Aaron Rodgers.
However, much like his 2023 season, 2024 was a rollercoaster for Wilson – and most of it was not smooth-sailing. Let’s break it down.
Wilson managed to put up strong numbers overall, finishing with respectable yardage and touchdown totals, although he didn’t reach the truly elite tier that many, including himself, were hoping for. The Ohio State product finished the season with 101 receptions (T-5th among WR), 1,104 yards (11th), and seven touchdowns (T-18th).
Wilson also posted the best contested catch rate of his career at 51.7% (15/29) after not reaching 40% in either of his first two seasons.
Believe it or not, Wilson led all wide receivers with 25 missed tackles forced. It sure helps when you’re the fourth-most targeted WR in the NFL, but that stat still surprised me. Even if you break it down to missed tackles forced per reception, Wilson’s 0.248 mark ranked fourth-best out of 49 wide receivers with 80+ targets.
After watching the film, I felt that Wilson was consistently getting open, play after play, and a lot of the time, Rodgers and Wilson were not on the same page. Rodgers had a weird year, in my opinion. He constantly missed Wilson or did not pull the trigger at all when he was open. Along with that, Wilson commanded coverage like never before. Defenses consistently rotated safeties over the top of Wilson to bracket him on his routes.
While Wilson still received an enormous target total (154, T-4th among WR), that was mostly due to a high volume of screens and short passes. It was down the field where Rodgers frequently missed Wilson, leading to his disappointing finishes in yards and touchdowns relative to expectations. Wilson’s average depth of target was a career-low 9.4 yards, ranking 34th out of 49 wide receivers (min. 80 targets), exemplifying that he did not get enough looks downfield.
Let’s review the film from Garrett Wilson’s 2024 season: a strong campaign that should have been even stronger.
Garrett Wilson’s 2024 Film
Third-and-8 here. Rodgers hits Wilson on the slot fade. Rodgers sees man coverage, and you can see him checking to the play at the line. Wilson gives a rocker release and makes a big-time contested catch. Great ball placement and awesome body control from Wilson allow him to haul this one in. We see elite strength at the catch point from Wilson, too – it’s a beautiful contested catch.
This was, unfortunately, a theme that popped up on film a lot this year: Rodgers just being reluctant to pull the trigger on open receivers (usually Garrett) for no reason. He looks like he is about to release the ball when Wilson is open but just doesn’t throw it. It is one of many, many examples of Wilson cooking press coverage, and literally jumping up and down in frustration after not being targeted.
This is as good as it gets from Wilson in a third-and-1, fourth-quarter, got-to-have-it situation. Make no mistake, this is an ad-libbed route from Wilson. Wilson flips his hips to track the ball while it’s already in the air! It is outstanding ball tracking from Wilson in a must-convert situation that he makes look very easy when, in reality, it’s not.
The Jets can’t pick up the stunt up front here, but with the Broncos running a middle-of-field-open coverage, Rodgers could stand in, take the big hit and drive the ball to Wilson, who’s streaking open up the seam. Instead he opts to check it down to Breece Hall, who drops the ball. Brutal. It would be a tough ball up the seam, but No. 22 (field-side safety) is fully turned to Allen Lazard, so it is more open than it looks. We have yet another missed big play opportunity for Wilson on film.
Rodgers has never had the best mechanics footwork-wise, and it reared its ugly head more often in his older age. He is not even close to Wilson here on the slant. Again, Rodgers determines this throw pre-snap with the Vikings showing a zero blitz. It’s just a really bad throw in a clean pocket. This was another game where Wilson and Rodgers were not on the same page on a bunch of reps.
Talk about a play that could have flipped the season. With 1:30 left in the game, down by 6, this drive ended in an interception on a throw to Mike Williams, leading to Robert Saleh’s firing. It all could have been avoided if not for this brutal miss.
The Vikings show a zero blitz and drop Andrew Van Ginkel (similar to the pick-six from earlier in this game), so Wilson and Tyler Conklin run quick hitches because of Rodgers being hot. The Jets keep six in protection for the six blitzers and block it up pretty well. Rodgers pumps it to Wilson as he sees Stephon Gilmore sitting on the route. Wilson does a great job ad-libbing into a stop-and-go, but Rodgers doesn’t have time to set his feet and overthrows him out of bounds. Brutal miss. Re-watching this is absolute torture for Jets fans.
Rodgers makes a nice play here stepping up in the pocket; great improvisation. Also, I love how Wilson gets in Rodgers’s vision, understanding he is stepping up in the pocket. Great ball on the run from Rodgers, but great body control from Wilson for the TD to get two feet in.
This is a high red zone play where Wilson has 1-on-1 coverage and is running a shallow crosser. Watching this back, it is crazy how quickly Rodgers sees this at the last second and gets the throw off. His eyes are on Davante Adams for the entire dropback until the last second!
Make no mistake, this is a good throw, but also an exceptional one-handed catch by Wilson. Rodgers does a good job creating a millisecond in the pocket to get the throw off. He stands in there, gets hit, and makes the big-time throw. This is another thing Rodgers struggled to do consistently: have the willingness to hang in the pocket and take the hit to make the play.
The Jets run a hi-lo concept that works to perfection as Wilson comes open on the wrap/drift route. There is zero explanation for how badly Rodgers misses him here. It is another rep of Wilson being open and Rodgers just blatantly missing.
This is another one that makes no sense from Rodgers. He has a clean pocket and a wide-open Wilson on a dig route. The ball should come out at the top of his drop; even if he hitches once, it would be on time. Instead, he stares, pats the ball, and is late getting it out, which allows him to get hit by Olu Fashanu being bull rushed. Horrific timing by Rodgers, and more unrealized yards for Wilson.
Great red zone concept. Wilson and Xavier Gipson fake the rub route against match coverage and Wilson runs the slant-fade. Rodgers said the wind was an issue when asked about this throw. My problem is the worst thing you could do is overthrow him here. It won’t get more open in the NFL than this. Brutal, brutal miss, especially with the play after being the pick-six. You have to feel for Wilson re-watching this.
The Jets run power play action with Alijah Vera-Tucker pulling and down blocks from the O-line. This is as much of a gimme you can get in the NFL. Wilson gets free access (no press) on a 5-step spray out, and he breaks out with 6 yards of separation. The timing and rhythm is there from Rodgers, but the accuracy is not. He looks down oddly at his hand after he releases it. Another miss of Wilson being open.
Made-to-order slant for Wilson here. The Dolphins are playing 2-man with no hole player. Wilson takes one hop to close the space, then another as he explodes off his outside foot. Ramsey tries to get a one-hand press, which Wilson beautifully swims through. It’s a wrap from there, as Wilson takes the route upfield, Rodgers throws a strike, and Wilson gets 22 yards after the catch. It’s an A+ all-around rep for Wilson.
The Rams look to be in Tampa 2. Todd Downing calls a Yankee concept – double post over play-action. It was the perfect call, as Adams and Conklin cleared the way for Garrett’s over-route. Again, Rodgers is quick to check it down. In the past, I feel Rodgers would/could hang in here and wait to throw the over to Wilson. Instead, he opts for the check down in a somewhat clean pocket.
In a fourth-and-4 situation, the Jets are running mesh with Adams on a fade. Rodgers, pre and post-snap, sees Adams 1v1 and takes the chance. This is a low-probability throw/decision. Wilson is open on the mesh and will get the first down, or maybe a TD. The issue in this offense is that the fade to Adams is probably considered a “premium look,” whereas a higher-percentage throw was available.
It is clear as day that Garrett Wilson should have had 1,500+ yards in 2024. I can’t blame him for the massive frustrations he showed on and off the field. The Jets’ next GM must quickly re-sign Wilson, as he is one of the few players New York cannot afford to lose.
Even with three straight 1,000+ yard seasons, Wilson still hasn’t come close to his ceiling – which is a scary sign for the rest of the NFL.
