Garrett Wilson just said what every Jets fan has been thinking for years

If there were a trophy awarded for “NFL offseason champion," the New York Jets would be a dynasty. Throughout the Joe Douglas and the Robert Saleh regime, Gang Green made moves that deemed them “offseason champions," such as their 2022 draft class and acquisitions of Aaron Rodgers and Haason Reddick.

While some of these moves paid dividends, others blew up in the team’s face. But one of the best moves first-year GM Darren Mougey has made as of late was signing star receiver Garrett Wilson to a four-year $130 million extension to keep him in Florham Park through 2030.

The 25-year-old is heralded as one of the best leaders in the team's locker room and has been vocal about wanting to be a Jet for life. But he also hopes to see the recent offseason hype the team has received turn into hype on Sundays.

“I feel like we’ve won the offseason the last three, four years,” Wilson told reporters on Tuesday. “I don’t like that.”

Garrett Wilson only cares about the victories where they matter

Since being drafted in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Ohio State product has eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in all three seasons he’s been in the league, while hauling in a career-high seven touchdowns in 2024.

With the ex-Offensive Rookie of the Year now playing with his former Buckeyes quarterback in Justin Fields, he’s hoping their connection can be the catalyst for a surprise season in New York. He’s seen so much offseason hype surrounding his team, but they have never won more than seven games in a season with Wilson.

After losing only four games during his entire college career, the All-Big Ten wideout has endured a record of 19-32 since entering the NFL. Losing gets frustrating after a while, especially for a competitor like Wilson.

Wilson’s words cut deep because they echo the frustration of an entire fanbase, one that hasn’t really come close to witnessing playoff football since 2010.

For all the talent, all the headlines, and all the “on-paper wins,” Sundays have too often told a different story. It serves as a constant reminder that those offseason crowns mean nothing if it isn’t resulting in victories.

With Mougey and Aaron Glenn now running the show, fans are hoping that these two are the pair that can rewrite the story of Jets football by returning to those ground-and-pound roots. And nobody wants to see their vision succeed more than their WR1.

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