Jets Insider: Garrett Wilson Eyes New Contract with NYJ; Could Seek $30M AAV

New York Jets wideout Garrett Wilson reportedly "wants to re-up" with the team and is likely seeking a contract extension that would pay him around $30 million per year, as The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt said on his Flight Plan podcast.

Such a deal would match the current contracts of Tyreek Hill, Brandon Aiyuk and Amon-Ra St. Brown in terms of AAV while putting him below only A.J. Brown ($32 million in AAV), CeeDee Lamb ($34 million) and Justin Jefferson ($35 million).

Whether Wilson is worth a top-five contract at the wide receiver position may be an interesting conversation once extension talks begin with the Jets.

On one hand, the 2022 Offensive Rookie of the Year has posted three straight 1,000-yard seasons in his NFL career and has never posted fewer than 83 catches in a season. With a healthy Aaron Rodgers in 2024—the first time Wilson has had decent quarterback play in his career—the 24-year-old wideout set carer highs in receptions (101), receiving yards (1,104) and touchdowns (seven).

And that $30 million may not be top-five money once Ja'Marr Chase's imminent extension resets the market.

On the other hand, Wilson has never quite broken into the tier of elite players at his position. For instance, wideouts Ja'Marr Chase, Jefferson, Nico Collins, Puka Nacua, Brown, Drake London, St. Brown, Malik Nabers, Mike Evans, Terry McLaurin, Ladd McConkey, Brian Thomas Jr., Tee Higgins and Zay Flowers all made PFF's top 101-graded players of the 2024 season list.

Wilson did not.

That doesn't mean that all of those players are better than Wilson, of course. There aren't many players who can do this:

It also doesn't mean he isn't worth a massive contract. Lamb didn't crack PFF's list either and nobody would argue that the Cowboys shouldn't have signed him to a massive extension ahead of the 2024 season.

But the fact that Wilson didn't grade out in the top-14 of his position—in a year when he set career-high marks—is an indication that he still has plenty to prove to be considered among the truly elite players at his position.

Wilson was targeted 154 times this season, tied for fourth in the NFL. But he averaged just 7.2 yards per target, which ranked him 135th.

Again, there is some noise in those numbers. A change in the coaching staff and offensive philosophy should help. Rodgers clearly favored Davante Adams once he was acquired, and the relationship between Wilson and Rodgers never seemed to be great. It's possible that Wilson, with a new offensive coordinator (former Detroit Lions passing-game coordinator Tanner Engstrand) and quarterback in place, is about to reach a new level.

The Jets would be wise to keep him for the long term, obviously. That's a given. They'll assuredly exercise his fifth-year option this offseason (unless an extension precludes doing so). The interesting part will be just how much they believe he's worth given some of the data points above, and whether the two sides can align in those inevitable discussions.