Garrett Wilson has earned the crown for the New York Jets.
Kevin Patra of the NFL Media Group named Wilson as his non-QB MVP candidate on the roster heading into training camp.
“Here’s the list of QBs Wilson has caught a TD pass from in his career: Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor, 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers, Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle, Mike White, and Joe Flacco. Yuck. Geno Smith is coming off a troubling season behind a bad offensive line in Vegas, but he represents potentially the best QB Wilson has played with in his entire career,” Patra stated.
“For all the quarterback issues, Wilson put up three consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns before missing nine games last season due to injury. He’s a field-tilter who can make the circus catch against any coverage. With more weapons around him this year, perhaps he doesn’t see quite as many targets, but he’ll be in position to capitalize on the chances he does have with better QB play,” Patra wrote.
Target Distribution in 2026
Through the first three years of Wilson’s career, he got fed the rock:
- 147 targets in 2022 (tied for seventh most in the NFL)
- 168 targets in 2023 (fourth most in the NFL)
- 154 targets in 2024 (tied for fourth most in the NFL)
Wilson’s streak of 147+ targets came to a crashing halt last year because he missed 10 games due to injury, finishing with 59 targets.
In those healthy seasons, Wilson was consistent with a floor of 80+ receptions and over 1,000 receiving yards with a high target volume.
Patra argues that the target number could drop in 2026, but that doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing: quality over quantity.
Wilson could get less in terms of volume, but the quality of each rep could be significantly better, which should create bigger play opportunities.
In Other News…
An X account by the name “Rex Ryan” with the handle “@RexRyanOfficial” has gone viral on Jets’ social media.
The account was created in November of 2022 and is followed by multiple current Jets players, big-time media analysts, and former players.
This “Rex Ryan” character has been telling stories on social media about his time as the Jets’ head coach. Fans have been getting nostalgic reacting to the posts, and most of these people have been under the belief that they have been interacting with the real Rex Ryan, but apparently, that is not the case.
“Hey Jets fans, there is a Rex Ryan imposter on this site. I checked with ESPN. It’s not him. Carry on,” Brian Costello of the New York Post revealed.
So, for anyone hoping that was actually Rex Ryan, sorry to burst your bubble. The good news is, for now, at least until the account potentially gets taken down, you can still follow for some fun Jets conversations about better times.
The green and white haven’t been to the playoffs since 2011 during the 2010 season. The head coach at that time? You guessed it, Rex Ryan. Until the Jets reach that kind of success again, fans will continue to go back to those memories to cheer them up during this 15-year playoff drought.
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