It’s that time of the NFL offseason. No player is safe from hot takes to fill the gaps of a dead news period.
New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson is no exception.
Gang Green’s top wideout began his career with three straight 1,000-yard seasons despite a lack of help from the quarterback position. An injury-plagued 2025 season ended his streak, but Wilson remains one of the league’s most talented pass-catchers. He was rewarded for his success with a $130 million contract last offseason.
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon isn’t impressed, though. In a shocking list, Gagnon rated Wilson as the most overpaid player on the Jets next season.
Wilson Overpaid?
Here’s why Gagnon believes Wilson is overpaid.
“He’s still technically cheap for now, but that four-year, $130 million extension kicks in next year and Wilson’s $32.5 million AAV ranks sixth at the position,” Gagnon said. “The talent and potential are undeniable, but this is still a guy who has never put up 1,200 yards or eight touchdowns in a single season and is making borderline Justin Jefferson money.”
Labeling Wilson as an overpaid player is an asinine take for a number of reasons.
The first, of course, is market value. Fans and analysts who are quick to call players overpaid rarely consider what the market dictates for their position.
When Wilson was set to earn a contract extension, he was considered “next in line” on a list of great receivers. New York paid him at the market price. It’s not fair to compare Wilson’s deal to Justin Jefferson when he’s also making nearly the same in AAV as DK Metcalf or A.J. Brown, two players with their own contract questions.
Second, there is the production question. Gagnon points out that Wilson has never recorded eight touchdowns or posted over 1,200 yards receiving.
But would any top receiver post those numbers with the quarterbacks Wilson has caught passes from?
Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle, Trevor Siemian, Aaron Rodgers, Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor, Mike White, Chris Streveler, and Joe Flacco are the names of the eight signal-callers who have thrown a pass to Wilson since he was drafted in 2022.
That isn’t a very coveted list.
New York needs to prove it can find a quality starting quarterback before any question comes up about whether or not Wilson is overpaid or an overhyped player. At the moment, having those conversations is ignorant of where the team stands.
The reality is that Wilson has done the best he can to make the most of a difficult situation with the Jets. Calling him overpaid is as asinine a take this offseason will have.
It’s that time of year, though. These kinds of takes are par for the course.