The New York Jets and wide receiver Garrett Wilson have agreed on a four-year, $130 million contract extension, a league source has confirmed to The Athletic. The contract includes $90 million in guarantees and locks down Wilson through the 2030 season.
Wilson, 24, was chosen by the Jets with the No. 10 selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. Through 51 career games, Wilson has caught 279 passes for 3,249 yards with 14 touchdowns.
There were various points in Wilson’s three seasons where it felt like he was on track to ask his way out of New York. Wilson isn’t a player who generally holds back his emotions or his opinions, so as the Jets’ offense often fell apart around him, he wasn’t afraid to express that in postgame press conferences or various interviews. His frustrations with the quarterbacks the Jets have rolled through over three seasons and the inconsistent (and often maddening) play-calling from his offensive coordinators were wearing thin. There came a point last year where some close to him felt that if the Jets didn’t get their act together, he wouldn’t want to stick around long term.
Then, a new regime came in, the Jets signed Wilson’s college quarterback (Justin Fields) to replace one he didn’t get along with (Aaron Rodgers), and everyone involved made it clear Wilson was a priority. In the spring, Wilson said he wanted to be a “Jet for life.” This contract doesn’t quite guarantee that, but it makes it clear how much the new regime led by general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn values him — and they should.
Wilson has managed to produce at a historic level despite the turmoil all around him. He’s one of only five wide receivers in NFL history to produce three straight seasons of at least 80 receptions, 1,000 yards and three touchdowns to start his career. The others: Odell Beckham, Michael Thomas, Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase.
Odds are, with some stability, Wilson can reach the level those players did, which is why the Jets are paying him top-five wide receiver money after only his third NFL season, which isn’t something that teams usually do.
It’s expected that cornerback Sauce Gardner, a first-round pick in the same class as Wilson, will soon follow suit and get a contract that will make him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL, also averaging over $30 million a year.
Both of those facts — Wilson’s new contract and Gardner’s impending one — are significant developments for an organization that historically hasn’t signed their top young talent to new deals before the end of their rookie contracts. That changed two years ago with Quinnen Williams, and especially now with Wilson, Gardner likely soon and linebacker Jamien Sherwood this offseason.
(Photo: Luke Hales / Getty Images)
