The New York Jets and wide receiver Garrett Wilson could be approaching a crossroads.
Wilson, 24, has been excellent for the Jets in his first three NFL seasons, despite consistently poor quarterback play. He won an Offensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2022, has crossed the 1,000-yard mark in every season, and set a career-high with seven touchdowns in 2024.
Last month, the Jets decided to exercise Wilson’s fifth-year option for 2026. But the young star would still surely love the security of a long-term contract, and the Jets could easily lose him at an inopportune time in free agency if they don’t get that done.
So how much will that contract cost New York? Ex-NFL quarterback and current Bleacher Report analyst Kurt Benkert had a projection for the star wideout during a recent livestream.
“I think that Garrett Wilson could very easily get a four-year, $96 million contract,” Benkert said. “I could see him getting over $100 million. But I think this is a place where the Jets could get comfortable with him.”
“He was the Rookie of the Year in 2022. He’s had about a thousand yards a year… I do think that he’s in that realm with the Brandon Aiyuks of the world, and I think he’s probably going to get paid like how Nico Collins got paid, even though I think Nico is a better player today.”
Aiyuk, for the record, got a four-year, $120 million extension from the San Francisco 49ers. Collins got three years, $72.75 million from the Houston Texans.
The Jets have a relatively favorable future cap situation, especially once Aaron Rodgers’ dead money comes off the books at the end of the 2026 season. They should be able to fit a $25-30 million salary for Wilson into the budget, especially if they wind up with a new quarterback soon on a rookie deal.
But it takes two to tango, and right now, it’s hard to say what Wilson is expecting the Jets to cough up.
