Stephen A. Smith Responds to Garrett Wilson's Criticism of Jets Comments in Video

Stephen A. Smith is doubling down on his criticism of the New York Jets despite pushback from wide receiver Garrett Wilson.

Smith addressed Wilson in Thursday's episode of First Take, the day after the wide receiver responded to his comments about the franchise by calling him a "sell out" and a "square."

"Did I stutter? The Jets are horrible," Smith said, before putting up a screenshot of Wilson's post on the broadcast.

"Garrett Wilson, you're a good brother, my man. And I don't blame you for feeling salty about what I said. I wasn't talking about you. I was pleading for you to get help, meaning the kind of help Sauce Gardner got when they sent him to Indy. Meaning the kind of help Quinnen Williams got when they sent him to Dallas.

"I think players should be trying to get the hell up out of MetLife Stadium... I was talking about the organization. The Jets are horrible. You haven't been in the playoffs since 2010."

Wilson responded by saying he had listened to Smith's comments, and that he didn't like them but it was "all okay."

"I just don't want bad advice going out. That was bad career and financial advice that he himself wouldn't even take," Wilson wrote. "Not to mention yeah I take some of it personal. All good. Go Jets."

Smith had originally called the Jets a "football atrocity" and a worse destination for players and coaches than college football teams in Wednesday's episode of First Take, prompting Wilson's first response on social media.

"And they're the place to go if you want to sink, if you want to dissipate, if you want to just rot away... Listen, if I was a parent, my child would not even go to the draft," Smith said Wednesday.

The Jets finished the 2025 season with a 3-14 record, extending their playoff drought to an NFL-high 15 straight years. The franchise could once more be tasked with finding a new starting quarterback as New York heads into the 2026 draft with the No. 2 pick.

The team spent most of the season without Wilson, who was sidelined for 10 games with a knee injury. The 25-year-old had recorded 36 catches for 395 yards and four touchdowns in seven games before he was shut down in early November.