Stephen A. Smith and the crew at ESPN’s “First Take” aren’t exactly known for high-quality analysis. Sports fans aren’t the only ones calling out the lack of depth on the network’s most widely circulated program across social media.
New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson has had enough of the hysterics, too.
On Jan. 7, Smith bashed the Jets, stating, “I’d go back to college before I play for the Jets. They are a football atrocity. They are awful.” The conversation centered on Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, who is facing a decision between staying in college and declaring for the NFL draft.
Wilson wasn’t having it. The 25-year-old wideout slammed Smith in a reply on X/Twitter, calling the analyst a “square.”
“Damn, [you] gotta be a real sell out [and] above all a square to be on ESPN nowadays. Used to love that show,” said the Jets’ four-time reigning receiving leader.
The idea of a prospect passing on being a top-two pick in the NFL draft just to avoid the Jets is ludicrous, for numerous reasons.
Above anything else, it would be extremely risky to pass on a guaranteed four-year NFL contract when the prospect could get injured in college and never see that type of money again. The prospect could also return to school and underperform, tanking his draft stock.
According to Over The Cap, the second overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft is expected to receive a four-year, $40.4 million contract ($10.1 million per year), which is fully guaranteed. Sure, there is plenty of money available to collegiate athletes in today’s NIL-driven landscape, but $40.4 million is far from chump change in a sport where careers can end on any given Saturday.
It would be beyond ludicrous to pass on that type of generational wealth as a 20-year-old. It was only two years ago when Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis was on his way to a promising NFL career before suffering a gruesome leg injury, sending him tumbling down the draft board. Before he could return to the field, Travis was forced to retire in 2025 at the age of 25.
You can’t pass up on surefire money in this sport.
On top of that, if analysts like Smith think the Jets are such an “atrocity,” then aren’t the Jets going to be right back on top of the NFL draft board in 2027, anyway? What is Moore going to do then? Go back for another season?
Not to mention, it’s not as if there are significantly better alternatives at the top of the draft. Yes, the Jets are a mess at the moment, but how are the Las Vegas Raiders any more appealing of a landing spot? What about the Arizona Cardinals or the Cleveland Browns?
If Moore is the real deal, his talent alone could be enough to turn the Jets organization around. It wasn’t long ago that the Buffalo Bills were the laughingstock of the NFL, missing the playoffs 17 years in a row. In walks Josh Allen, and now, Buffalo is one of the most respected franchises in football.
Sometimes, all it takes is a quarterback. If you’re a true competitor and natural-born leader, you will embrace the challenge of saving a franchise like the Jets, not run from it. As Allen’s career has shown, there is nothing more satisfying for a quarterback than being the savior of a downtrodden NFL franchise. To western New Yorkers, Allen can practically walk on water.
Once again, Smith and the folks at ESPN are talking just to hear the sounds of their voices, rather than taking a moment to put any semblance of critical thinking into their takes. It’s fantastic to hear prominent athletes like Wilson call it out.
