New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson was initially the subject of trade rumors last winter, and whispers about his future have grown louder throughout December following a couple of reports.
Wilson could've silenced such chatter while speaking with media members on Thursday. He instead took a different route.
"I don’t know, man," Wilson said about possibly receiving a contract extension from the Jets, as shared by Andy Vasquez of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. "I just figure it — I just do whatever, go about my day however ... be where my feet are at. And if they do, that would be a blessing, that would be awesome. I love the Jets. At the end of the day, they were the ones that believed in me. So yeah. But I can’t be worrying about that. I don’t know, man. I can’t be looking into all that right now."
While Wilson is eligible to negotiate an extension this coming offseason for the first time in his career, multiple insiders revealed this month that people in the 24-year-old's "circle" and some within the Jets "think he will ask for a trade after the season." Gang Green wouldn't have to grant such a request considering the club can hold Wilson's rights without signing him to an extension through at least 2027 via the fifth-year option attached to his rookie deal along with the franchise tag. Still, it's worth noting that a regime that didn't make him a first-round draft pick back in 2022 will be running the organization's football operations when the new league year opens in March.
"It's just about the game, trying to win the game, trying to finish the right way," Wilson said about this coming Sunday's matchup between the 4-10 Jets and 8-6 Los Angeles Rams held at MetLife Stadium, per Randy Lange of the Jets' website. "We've had a rough go here and we want to finish the right way, winning the three games we've got left."
One can't blame Wilson for being noncommittal about his future. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers recently hinted he won't be with the Jets when springtime workouts begin. It's unknown who will serve as New York's next general manager and head coach. If a new executive wants to blow things up and execute a roster rebuild, trading Wilson before the draft would make at least some sense for the Jets.
Wilson hinted shortly after the Jets extended the longest active playoff drought in the four major North American sports leagues to 14 consecutive campaigns he could want out when he said it feels like the team has "a losing problem" or losing "gene." Vasquez noted that Wilson "is one of the smartest players in the locker room," so it's fair to wonder if the third-year pro was sending a message to other clubs about his intentions for 2025 via his latest public comments.
