Three weeks ago, when it became obvious that the Raiders would trade receiver Davante Adams, presumably to the Jets, the aftermath of the transaction wasn’t. Which receiver already on the team would be the odd man out?
We suggested that perhaps Garrett Wilson might be traded. He’d recently made some comments about the offense that reasonably could be interpreted as signs of frustration.
Since then, Wilson went from being targeted eight times against the Broncos in Week 4 to 23 times against the Vikings and 10 against the Bills. His receiving yards shot from 41 against Denver to 101 and 107.
Meanwhile, Mike Williams seemed to have fallen completely out of favor. After dropping a pass on Monday night against Buffalo, he ran the wrong route on the game-sealing interception.
PFT reported in the aftermath of the acquisition of Adams that the Jets are looking to trade Williams.
That hasn’t stopped teams from calling about Wilson, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Schefter also reports that the Jets have responded by saying they won’t be trading the 2022 NFL offensive rookie of the year.
As a practical matter, it’s a non-story unless and until the Jets express a willingness to consider a trade. Teams constantly do their due diligence about potentially available players, calling any and every team about any and every potentially possible trade. It would only be unusual if no teams called Jets G.M. Joe Douglas and asked whether Wilson might be available, now that Adams and Aaron Rodgers have been reunited.
The real question is whether this is a run-of-the-mill, quota-filling, Saturday night Sunday Splash! report, or whether the Jets pushed the item in order to maximize the potential market by affirmatively getting the word out.
As Jets owner Woody Johnson tries to prove himself right by firing coach Robert Saleh only five games into the season, it makes no sense to swap Wilson for future draft picks. That said, Wilson will be eligible for a new contract after the current season, and he’ll likely want a market-level deal. If the Jets aren’t inclined to pay him $35 million or more per year — and if he could be dealt for someone who would help the Jets right now at a position of weakness — it’s worth listening.
It’s also worth making sure everyone knows it’s worth trying to come up with an offer the Jets can’t, and won’t, refuse.
