It's Time to Start Worrying About Garrett Wilson's Future with Jets

Gang Green is playing a dangerous game with its most important player.

Garrett Wilson's future with the Jets looks murky following Sunday's loss to the Patriots. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

FOXBOROUGH, M.A. — It was obvious from the moment the Jets walked off the field on Sunday afternoon.

Gathered in hushed tones, a frustrated Garrett Wilson wasn't happy. The star receiver in New York's offense had just four receptions for 44 yards on just six targets in the team's 26-19 loss to the rival Patriots.

If you ask the Patriots, neutralizing Wilson was always part of the plan. Taking away an opponent's best player has been something the organization is known for.

"Another key was to eliminate (Wilson) from the game, and I think we did that for the most part," Patriots safety Kevin Byard said. "He didn't really affect the game as much as he probably wanted to."

The Patriots' game plan may have been effective, but the Jets and Wilson didn't help themselves either. After a game with minimal impact, Wilson's frustration was apparent, highlighting an ugly thought the Jets will have to deal with.

If the lack of wins and their offensive game plan don't change, is Gang Green facing a point of no return with their star receiver?

Garrett Wilson's future is suddenly in question

Even before the game, the Jets knew the Patriots would try to place their All-Pro cornerback Christian Gonzalez on Wilson for as long as they could. While Gonzalez didn't travel with Wilson for the whole game, he did blanket the star receiver enough that the Jets only targeted him twice in the first three quarters of action.

Afterwards, Wilson wondered if he could have done anything different to help get the ball.

It's just frustrating because we lost, and I want to help the team. I'm going to watch this film and see how I can get more separation or just find a way, get on the right page with G (Jets quarterback Geno Smith), and find a way to make defenses pay for the looks that we've been getting because it's there. We've just got to execute.

Garrett Wilson, Jets WR

It was easy to see how frustrated Wilson was after the game, though. He didn't have Gonzalez on him for every snap, and he wasn't a key schematic part of the Jets' offense.

As much as the Jets talk about Wilson being a focal point, they do not scheme him open as one.

"We have all the confidence in the world, whoever guards Garrett, that he can win," Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said. "I think, as the game progressed, we started to get him the ball a lot more."

Glenn is correct. After receiving just two targets in the first three quarters, New York targeted Wilson four times in the fourth. The absurdity of that statement, though, is self-explanatory. It shouldn't take that long to make your star player a key part of the game plan.

It shouldn't take the Jets three-plus quarters to realize that getting the ball to Garrett Wilson is a good idea. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's also not rocket science to see that the Jets wanting to spread the ball around to other receivers makes little sense when those receivers aren't doing enough to win games.

The fact of the matter is that Wilson did not find himself covered by Gonzalez throughout the entire game. Even when he was, there were ways to get Wilson the ball without being stuck in coverage. Moving Wilson out in motion, or keeping him in the slot, would have been helpful.

Instead, they seemingly took their best player out of the game by not giving him many chances.

How much more can Wilson take?

It is not enough for the Jets' coaching staff and quarterback Geno Smith to argue against targeting Wilson because of the other weapons on the team. After Sunday's loss, Smith pointed to how the Patriots were playing as the reason why Wilson didn't get the ball.

"I think our game plan was working the way it should," Smith said. "Again, if we just finish those drives, I think we're talking a lot different."

This is the wrong answer for any starting quarterback with a top receiver, though.

For example, the Seahawks have many strong offensive targets. They don't have any trouble getting the ball to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The same is true for Puka Nacua with the Rams, or the Texans with Nico Collins, or all 31 other teams in the league.

Here is the list of targets the Jets have given Wilson by each week:

• Week 1: 7
• Week 2: 7
• Week 3: 13
• Week 4: 4
• Week 5: 11
• Week 6: 6

Is it a coincidence that the Jets' best offensive games have come this season when Wilson was targeted more than 10 times? Is it further coincidence that the worst outings from New York's offense come when its star receiver doesn't get the ball?

Through six games, Wilson is in the top 10 across the NFL in targets, but those numbers don't tell the whole story. The Jets aren't scheming their top player open in their offense, making everything harder for the group than it has to be.

It's also why the team's 2-4 mark is weighing on the receiver more than ever.

I try and reason it in my head because we've got a whole 'nother fourth quarter, and I know that the game can change at any moment. Just try and keep playing my role, waiting for that moment that they want to call on me.

Garrett Wilson, Jets WR

Eventually, the arguments that the Jets need to spread the ball around will get thin. Eventually, the consistent losing will reach a tipping point for Wilson.

Through six games, the lack of a consistent plan to get him the ball is only exasperating that very thought. If something doesn't change soon in the win column, as well as his targets, Wilson may finally get to a point of asking something of the team they have tried to avoid for years:

A future without each other.

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