“Oh, the band is out on the field!”
Oh, wait, that’s not the Stanford Cardinal band; that’s an out-for-blood mob comprised of angry New York Jets fans. To that, I quickly turn the other way, haplessly sprinting in the wrong direction—while channeling my best Jim Marshall impression.
The reason behind the mob is pretty obvious at this point—save for the wacky folks who failed to read the article’s title.
The Jets would not be crazy to consider trading Garrett Wilson. They wouldn’t even be close to crazy.
By no means am I championing the idea of the Jets trading Wilson; it’s more about challenging all involved to take a deeper look at the entire picture and realize that outlooks are a bit askew.
Plus, courtesy of the recent report suggesting Wilson is eager to sign long-term with the Jets (via The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt), there’s no better time than now to dig into the possibilities.
Garrett Wilson trade rumors are nothing new
Let’s be honest: The reasons for so many thoughts on this topic are many.
Firstly, Wilson himself hasn’t been vocal about wanting to remain a Jet. By no means is he obligated to say so, but when asked in the past—particularly one spot near the end of the season—he created more controversy than he squashed.
“I don’t know, man,” Wilson told the media in mid-December. “I just go about my day. Wherever my feet are at. If they [extend my contract], that would be a blessing. It would be awesome. I love the Jets. At the end of the day, they were the ones that believed in me. But, yeah, I can’t be worrying about that. I have to go out and finish these three games the right way.”
Wilson’s moment of sideline frustration in Miami was also a crucial moment that fueled the trade narrative.
Of course, the Jets’ current “losing” situation is yet another reason why many believe Garrett Wilson will not hesitate to find his way to a different NFL organization. If the Jets were winning games, perhaps most (if not all) of the frustrations would be quelled.
Maybe.
The truth is that we don’t know for sure. I mean, I didn’t see Wilson lose his mind on the sideline earlier in the season when the Jets were losing, well before Davante Adams came to town.
Either way, ESPN’s Aaron Schatz really ramped up recent speculation when he suggested the Jets trade Wilson to the Houston Texans for the No. 25 pick and Day 2 selection.
Garrett Wilson is overrated by Jets fans
Don’t look now, but the aforementioned mob just tripled in size—now that the dreaded “overrated” word has been used. For some godforsaken reason, fans conflate “overrated” with “bad,” when the two words have little to do with the other.
Garrett Wilson is an excellent NFL wide receiver. He’s just not at the level the general consensus would lead one to believe.
When entering the 2022 NFL draft, one of the featured stories involved Garrett Wilson and Drake London. Unlike many who had London No. 1, I was on record as ranking Wilson clearly ahead of his counterpart.
Three years later, Wilson, at 25 years old, entering the fourth year of his rookie contract, holds incredible value. He’s explosive, dynamic, and oozes potential in spots that are tough to duplicate.
Yet, he’s also overrated by many Jets fans. Both can be true at once.
Wilson’s catch-in-traffic game isn’t great at all. On Oct. 14 of this past season, Wilson failed to secure a sure touchdown against the Buffalo Bills.
Naturally—thanks to my rough criticism about his catch-in-traffic ability and X post seen below—many fans immediately assembled a larger-than-usual aforementioned mob.
It’s not just the catch-in-traffic concerns.
Although most want to wholly blame Aaron Rodgers at the first sign of “Garrett Wilson trouble,” it’s just not that simple. It takes two to tango, and three’s a crowd. The two are comprised of Rodgers and Wilson, whereas the third is represented by the vast number of unnamed sources proclaiming the young wideout was fed up with the future Pro Football Hall of Fame and Super Bowl-winning quarterback.
If, indeed, Wilson is happier that Rodgers is no longer his quarterback, that’s a major issue. The idea that a young receiver doesn’t value Rodgers’s presence via his veteran experience and quarterback play would be so alarming that it’s not even close to funny.
Obviously, we don’t know that to be the truth since it cannot be substantiated. Fortunately, the on-field play can be confirmed, and far too many times this past season, Wilson failed Rodgers.
The following play is a third-and-long situation in which Wilson simply did not adjust to the leverage in a way an elite receiver should. And make no mistake about it: This happened routinely all season.
To be fair, miscommunication happened between Rodgers and other targets as well. Plus, it occurred much more frequently earlier in the season, only to improve as time chugged forward.
Rodgers’s on-field play results in a higher-ceiling production. He and his weapons must be in sync on each play—reading the coverage and defensive leverage in real-time.
Some guys pulled it off better than others (i.e., Davante Adams), whereas others were still learning (i.e., Garrett Wilson). Of course, others, such as then-rookie Malachi Corley, had no chance to figure it out in year No. 1.
This isn’t to excuse Rodgers’s overall play in each of his 17 games started; it’s instead an attempt to explain the situation objectively. Rodgers, rehabbing from an Achilles while playing, started slowly thanks in part to an awful coaching situation that had zero idea of a rushing attack.
Ultimately, however, Rodgers began to figure it out with his receivers as time marched forward. It particularly sparked once Olu Fashanu was inserted in at left tackle for Tyron Smith, and as the offense became much more familiar with one another.
Yet, Garrett Wilson was the one who seemingly became more frustrated with the situation—as the season progressed. Worse yet, the “disparity in targets” narrative does not hold water once broken down—without even taking into account that Adams is the better wideout right now.
Ok, Rodgers is favoring Davante.
So what? Go about your business and earn your quarterback’s trust. Period.
Everybody has a price on their head
It’s one thing to theorize about a Garrett Wilson trade, but it’s another to track down pertinent history that supports the possibility.
Aaron Glenn, the Jets’ new head coach, has never been shy when publicly admiring his former head coach, Bill Parcells, the man who nudged him toward coaching. Glenn has even told stories about the old days with Parcells.
Shortly after Parcells arrived in New York, Glenn heard potential rumors about himself being traded. It was no secret that Parcells favored bigger cornerbacks (hello, Otis “My Man” Smith), so Glenn wondered where he stood.
Long story short, Glenn confronted Parcells to ask him if he’d be traded. The Tuna, in a way only he could, told his top cornerback that “everybody has a price on their head,” even his wife.
The same applies to Garrett Wilson. If Aaron Glenn truly is something of a Bill Parcells reincarnation, it’s impossible to shut down the idea of a potential Wilson trade discussion.
Again, that isn’t to say the Jets are eager to trade, or will even do so. It’s instead about taking a much deeper look into a team’s situation that has featured such a porous “culture,” for lack of a better description.
“This is not going to be the last decision I make that will upset some people,” Glenn said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine when talking about the Aaron Rodgers decision.
It’s about challenging Garrett Wilson
Public sentiment is totally on Garrett Wilson’s side. Unfortunately for the public, Glenn doesn’t care about public sentiment.
He also doesn’t care about “light touches.”
Think about Garrett Wilson in the same light as Jameson Williams, who the Detroit Lions drafted No. 12 in the 2022 NFL draft (just two picks after Wilson). After playing in just six games in his rookie season, Williams played in just 12 games (10 games started) in his second year.
What Dan Campbell did for Jameson Williams may not have been welcomed by the youngster at the moment, but it has certainly contributed to his development as a player and man.
Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions organization challenged Jameson Williams. They didn’t hand him anything on a silver platter and made him work for everything.
Label me stunned if Glenn does not attempt the same with Wilson. This includes his behavior (i.e., sideline explosion in Miami, showing on-field frustration after not getting the ball) and on-field play (i.e., lack of catch-in-traffic ability, the tendency to dance instead of getting upfield, and not enough attention to detail via route-running against leverage).
Granted, challenging him doesn’t mean trading him, but considering to trade him also doesn’t mean trading him.
Trade consideration should be applied to nearly every player in the locker room. The untouchable player should be a rarity, and even further, it should only be a legitimate idea within successful football programs.
Garrett Wilson isn’t great enough to fall into that category, and the New York Jets certainly don’t deserve that classification.
No, I don’t think the New York Jets are attempting to trade Garrett Wilson. Nor am I making the case that they should. In fact, a betting man would put solid money on the Jets and Wilson coming together on a long-term deal at some point next offseason.
That doesn’t mean he’s untouchable—not even close.
Thanks to where the New York Jets currently are in their journey, who Aaron Glenn is as a coach and talent evaluator, and how far the kid in question still has to travel to reach his personal goals, considering a Garrett Wilson trade isn’t even close to crazy.
Craziness ensues when tagging guys as “untouchable” before it’s deserving.
If you think I’m wrong, you must not be familiar with a man named Keyshawn Johnson.
We understand Garrett Wilson’s talent and ability. We realize how badly he wants to win and contribute. And we fully get his overall value as it currently stands (age, contract, potential, etc.).
The question is this: Is Garrett Wilson a bonafide WR1 who deserves mega-bucks in guaranteed fashion? He is that leader and winner the New York Jets truly need?
Aaron Glenn intends to learn these answers.
