Garrett Wilson Wants To Be A 'jet For Life,' Talks Chemistry With Justin Fields

Tuesday was only the second day of Jets OTAs, but new head coach Aaron Glenn has already learned an important lesson about Garrett Wilson.

“Give him the ball as much as possible,’ Glenn said. “Give him the ball as much as possible, that’s it.”

And that, as one might imagine, is music to the former first-round pick’s ears.

“That makes me feel great,” Wilson said. “I train myself like that’s the mindset of whatever I’m going to part of, as far as the philosophy. I’ll be prepped, I’ll say that. So when I hear that, I say ‘Okay, I’ve got to go get my body read, I’ve got to get on the same page as Justin, I’ve got to clean up all my details,’ all of that.

“That’s awesome to hear, but there’s a lot of stuff that comes with it that sparks in my head too.”

Despite inconsistent play at the quarterback position for the Jets, Wilson has thrived in his three NFL seasons, surpassing the 1,000-yard mark in each year, catching 279 passes and finding the end zone 14 times.

Wilson will once again have a new starting signal-caller this season, but it certainly help that it’s his former Ohio State teammate Justin Fields, who was signed to a two-year deal this offseason to take over for Aaron Rodgers.

Wilson and Fields played two seasons together with the Buckeyes, and the receiver said on Tuesday that’s always been a big fan of Fields, who ended up getting drafted by the Chicago Bears with the No. 11 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

“It’s someone that I’m familiar with, someone that I have a great relationship with, someone that I love just watching him play,” Wilson said. “Since I’ve met Justin, it’s been a pleasure to lineup alongside of him. And then when I’m on the sideline, I just got to watch him.

“I didn’t think we’d get this opportunity on this level, so it’s exciting. I’m still taking it in all the way. It’s cool, it’s cool. We’ve been picking up where we left off.”

Earlier this offseason, the Jets, as expected officially picked up Wilson’s fifth-year option, keeping him under contract through the 2026 season. But Jets fans are certainly hoping that Wilson will be wearing green even longer than that, and the receiver reciprocated that feeling on Tuesday.

“I’m hopeful I’m a Jet for life and we get this thing rolling and that all of our best days are ahead of us,” Wilson said. “I don’t know exactly what that looks like, but I’m gonna go do my part to make sure that it’s undeniable when the time comes, and when those conversations are being had, I’m going to make sure that it’s undeniable.”

Wilson added later that he and his representatives have had “a few discussions here and there” about a long-term deal, but he tries to keep his mind on playing football.

“I try not to worry about it too much,” Wilson said. “When that stuff happens, that’ll be a cherry on top.”