Over the past four seasons, the New York Jets haven’t found consistency in many areas. However, one constant has been Garrett Wilson, who has been a consistent performer since entering the NFL in 2022.

From a talent perspective, Wilson is one of the NFL’s top receivers. He simply hasn’t gotten the national recognition because of the revolving door of quarterbacks he’s played with, preventing him from accumulating an elite-level statistical output. In all three of his fully healthy seasons, he surpassed 1,000 receiving yards, despite playing with a whopping 12 quarterbacks since being drafted.

Now, he is paired with the best QB of his career, Geno Smith, and the results with an accurate signal caller have been as expected.

Wilson’s hot start to the season

Creativity is crucial for offensive play-callers in the NFL, but sometimes things don’t have to be complicated. At the end of the day, each quarterback should have one simple goal: get the ball in the hands of my best playmaker.

In Week 2, it was perplexing as to why Wilson didn’t have as much of a role in the Jets’ offense. In the Jets’ Week 3 matchup against the Detroit Lions, though, New York made him the focal point.

Against the Lions, Wilson reeled in 10 of his 13 targets for 107 yards and an astonishing 23-yard touchdown. He led the team in receptions, targets, and yards, which he should as the team’s WR1, especially with the absence of Adonai Mitchell.

With the Jets’ WR room very thin because of injuries to Mitchell, Arian Smith, and Tim Patrick, Wilson rose to the occasion. While he caught 10 passes for 107 yards, all other New York wide receivers combined for just two catches and 24 yards.

Even when Mitchell and the Jets’ other receivers return to the fold, though, Wilson should still receive a similar workload. The fact that he received only 14 combined targets in Weeks 1-2 is malpractice. While it’s beneficial to have a veteran QB like Smith who can dish the ball out to various pass-catching options, Wilson needs to be the centerpiece of New York’s passing attack.

Ahead of this week’s Sunday and Monday Night Football results, the Ohio State product’s 23.6% CROE (catch rate over expected) currently leads all players with at least 15 targets. It shows Wilson’s raw talent as a pass-catcher, exemplifying that he catches the ball at a significantly higher rate than the average receiver would in the same situations.

Under offensive coordinator Frank Reich, Wilson has undergone a role change, which he teased before the season began. After lining up outside on 61.2% of his passing snaps in 2025, that rate has jumped to 79.1% this season. That fits how Reich has historically used his top receivers.

Lining up out wide more frequently has increased Wilson’s opportunities to win in the deep game. So far, Wilson has hauled in all three of his deep targets (20+ yards) for 77 yards, including a touchdown on Sunday. That’s a major uptick in deep production for Wilson, who had only 22 deep receptions in 58 career games entering 2026, just 0.38 per game.

The Jets should look to create even more opportunities for him, since his effectiveness as a downfield threat has been evident this year. He has hauled in every deep pass thrown his way so far, but that’s out of just three targets; the Jets can still get that number up.

Wilson has also done an outstanding job of winning in contested situations. According to Pro Football Focus, he has hauled in eight of his nine contested targets this season (88.9%), including six of his seven opportunities against the Lions. His 88.9% conversion rate leads receivers with at least five contested opportunities this season.

Perhaps his uptick in deep and contested targets was due to the absence of Mitchell, but Wilson popped in that area. Even when Mitchell returns, the Jets should continue to look for opportunities to use Wilson as a vertical threat. He proved how much he can offer there.

Sunday’s outing showed exactly what Wilson is capable of with competent play under center and when he receives typical WR1 target volume.