New York Jets OTA practice, May 21, 2025
Jets receiver Garrett Wilson isn’t good at hiding his frustration. He hasn’t ben able to hide it through his first three seasons of losing in a Jets uniform, on the field or in postgame interview sessions.
And Wilson’s obvious consternation – with the losing and lack of offensive consistency – combined with the Jets’ offseason reboot, has convinced many that Wilson might be looking for a way out heading into 2025.
So it didn’t feel accidental on Wednesday, when Wilson walked into the media room at 1 Jets Drive wearing street clothes and ball cap, in Jets colors but not with team branding, with the words “New York” emblazoned across the front.
And when Wilson was asked if he hoped to sign an extension with the Jets, he made sure it wasn’t just his wardrobe doing the talking.
“I’m hopeful I’m a Jet for life and we get this thing rolling and all our best days are ahead of us,” Wilson said. “I don’t know exactly what that looks like ... but when the time does come and those conversations are being had, I’m going to try to do my part to make sure that it’s undeniable.”
Wilson has backed that up already during the early days of the offseason program with more than clothing choices and words. Jets coach Aaron Glenn said Wilson has been there for every single voluntary offseason workout to date.
That’s notable, especially given Wilson’s contract situation: other players in his position have skipped workouts to put pressure on getting a deal done or forcing the team to provide a ticket elsewhere.
So why is Wilson not taking that approach?
“Because I want to be a part of something special,” Wilson said. “This is a group thing. I wanted to get in and know my teammates, I wanted to get in and know my coaches, even. This is a new staff – learn the material that they’re putting out and not be the guy that’s behind."
Wilson could have easily put the pressure on the Jets to pay him right now. But he didn’t, a clear sign that he’s not dead set on signing an extension before the season. And if that didn’t convince you, Wilson went further when asked if his agent has talked with the Jets about an extension.
“A few discussions here and there. You know, I try not to worry about it too much. Thats where I’m at. Every time I go out there, it’s like, ‘I’m playing football.’ When that stuff happens it’ll be a cherry on top. But it’s not like, ‘I shouldn’t run this route,’ or something.”
So what to make of Wilson’s visible frustration last year and everything it sparked? Let’s just say two things can be true: your eyes weren’t playing tricks on you, but that didn’t mean Wilson was giving up on the franchise that drafted him.
“I wasn’t unhappy,” Wilson said. “As far as being a competitor and how it may look out there while we’re down a couple points, I’ve got to work on all that and that’s something I’ve been constantly working on because I understand that it’s perceived a certain way. The reality is, no I wasn’t happy losing. But I wasn’t unhappy ... when you put into it what we do every week, it’s like you want it to look a certain way. you have this idea of how it can look and should look, right? And we just weren’t hitting that. We weren’t hitting that. So all the sudden it’s compounding and that’s all that was. You’re really hopeful going into the year and all the sudden ... God humbles you. I don’t think it was for nothing. I think it’ll be the reason that when we do do this thing here, in the near future, it’ll feel that much better. Because of times like that.”
_Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription._
_Andy Vasquez may be reached at_ [_avasquez@njadvancemedia.com_](mailto:avasquez@njadvancemedia.com)_._