Garrett Wilson pays ultimate respect to Jets veterans back for second stint in New York

The New York Jets had an exciting offseason, making several splashes in free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft and adding multiple new faces to both the offense and defense.

But there were some not-so-new faces as well, like quarterback Geno Smith and linebacker Demario Davis. In Davis' case, it's his third stint with the team.

The veteran presence on both offense and defense should give the Jets a much-needed level of stability that they didn't have last year. But there's another level to the return of these two former draft picks.

Star wide receiver Garrett Wilson is practically in awe of both players returning to a team they didn't have the most success with in their previous stints, and paid them the proper respect.

Garrett Wilson pays respect to Demario Davis & Geno Smith

Speaking with reporters for the first time this offseason, Wilson made sure to shout out Smith and Davis for coming back to New York.

"A lot of guys...their first place, and it didn't go the way they wanted to, they don't ever make that rise back to the top. We got two guys in that have been on the Jets, didn't go the way they wanted, and they wanted to come back and prove something, right? That are great players. They already proved enough, but they want to come back and prove it here, and that's special to me."

Garrett Wilson

As much as it means for Wilson to see two ex-Jets make their return to New York, some longtime fans are just as siked to see their former draft picks back in the Green & White.

Smith was never a world beater in his first four years with the Jets, and frankly, wasn't a great quarterback. But he still had plenty of memorable moments, and despite the way his tenure as the starter ended, he's much more mature and suited for QB1 than he was back then.

Davis is a player who never should've left the Jets in the first place. A 2013 third-round pick, the Arkansas State standout spent his first four years in New York before departing for the Cleveland Browns in 2016.

He returned in 2017 and had a career year, racking up 135 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and five sacks. It wasn't enough for then-general manager Mike Maccagnan, who let him walk to the New Orleans Saints.

Neither Smith nor Davis did a lot of winning during their earlier years with the Jets. But coming back to New York now, they clearly have a goal in mind of turning the organization that drafted them around.

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