PARADISE, Nev. -- The New York Jets have a solid core of young talent they hope can soon turn them into a winning franchise, and one of the players who figures to play a large part in their future is star wide receiver Garrett Wilson. In 2023, Wilson became the first Jets player to record at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons, and he did it while playing with six different quarterbacks.
This past season didn't go according to plan for the Jets. New York went out and acquired a new quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, but the four-time NFL MVP tore his Achilles just a handful of plays into the campaign, setting the table for what would be another losing season for the Jets. However, with Rodgers now recovered, optimism has returned for the Jets, a team many see turning the corner in 2024.
On Thursday, CBS Sports sat down with Wilson in the Courtyard by Marriott suite in Allegiant Stadium to discuss his first two NFL seasons, Rodgers as a leader and what the future in New York looks like.
Who is the best wide receiver to come out of Ohio State over the past few years?
Wilson: We've got one coming out this year in the draft, Marvin Harrison. He'll probably be one of the highest receivers drafted all time. He's got the college film to go with it, the work ethic. He's just an all-around great person, great player. And I feel like he takes the cake. But we got some great ones, man, and it's really cool to see the direction that Ohio State is going in as far as the receiver room. I don't take it for granted being a part of that room. It's special looking back on and it's something that's continued our friendship and brotherhood throughout our early careers in the NFL.
That doesn't happen by coincidence. What are you guys doing right at that wide receiver factory in Columbus?
I think it all starts with the type of guys that Ohio State wants to bring in. No one's scared of competition despite all of us being high-ranked coming out of school, we're all excited to go somewhere and compete with the other best of the best to prove that we belong and earn our spot. And when you get guys like that, you're getting people that are wired a certain way.
I think just the competitive spirit of the room and the way that we're coached, the way that we go about our offseason, it translates well into the NFL and we've just been blessed to have some great players decide to come be Buckeyes.
What have you learned about yourself through your first two NFL seasons? Because your team has been dealt its fair share of adversity, but you've had success personally. What have you learned about yourself?
Just that I have a long way to go to get to where I want to be. This league is awesome to be in, it's very special but just being here is not enough. I feel like we want to take that step into being a better team, I want to take that step into being a better player, and it all starts with the offseason and how you go about it. I'm just excited to attack this the right way and make sure that I'm taking the right steps into my third year.
Tell me about your head coach Robert Saleh. What kind of leader is he?
He's one of the best defensive minds in football. He's the type of guy that believes in doing certain things really well. You don't have to do everything, just do what you do, and do it really well and do it really detailed. We kind of take that mindset into everything we do at the facility. He's great at gathering the troops and getting us ready to go. He's always got the right thing to say leading up to the week to motivate us. We gotta go win some games for him this year, and we're excited to get that opportunity.
You're entering Year 2 of the Aaron Rodgers Jets era. What has his message been to the team this offseason?
Yeah, we're getting him back. There's a lot of excitement that comes with that. We got to see him those last couple weeks of the season and how he went about his therapy and then getting to work with the scout team. And now it's to the point where it's just let's be ready. Let's make the right moves in the offseason as far as personally, team-wise, team level. Make sure that we have everything we need to go at this thing next year. And yeah, Aaron is one of those guys he doesn't say too much, but when he does say something it holds a lot of weight. He kind of carries that on his shoulders. He doesn't "over-talk," but he's one of those people that when he's out there on the field and out there practicing, all the confidence is through the roof. And that will be the case for sure when we get back for workouts here in June.
Aaron Rodgers tears his Achilles just a few plays into the season, but he was rehabbing vigorously to try to make it back. Were you guys under the assumption that he was going to pull that off, that he was going to return at the end of the regular season, or was that always seen as kind of a longshot?
No, it wasn't a longshot, man. He went about things in a certain way to be back for the end of the season as far as his therapy, and he really attacked it. I think he accomplished everything he wanted to and it was kind of on us as the team that where it was out there to be in a spot to where it made sense for him to come back and we could gain something from it, and that wasn't the case. He kind of continued his therapy but I'm confident that he coulda came back. I'll never count Aaron out. First of all, he kind of thrives off of that. I'm confident he coulda been out there if it made sense. With that said, I am happy he got to go about his full recovery and get this full season of rehabbing back and be able to take it head on next year.
What are the goals for the Jets in 2024?
It all starts with making the playoffs. Start fast and finish a better team than we are to start the season and rolling into the playoffs. That's something that we've been wanting to do for a while up in Jersey and we gotta go do it, man. It's one of those things we talk about a lot, but it's time to play. I'm excited. I feel like we got the team to do it, the guys to do it, the staff, and I know everyone in the facility feels the same way. It all starts there and I feel like everything will take care of itself if we get ourselves in a position to compete when it matters.
You got any Super Bowl predictions?
Mahomes. The Chiefs. What's he going to get? Number three? Yeah, he's a bad dude. I like Mahomes a lot.
Wilson spoke with CBS Sports in promoting the "Courtyard Super Bowl Sleepover Suite" at Allegiant Stadium.
"I'm super excited to be here with Courtyard by Marriott and have a chance to showcase this Super Bowl ultimate upgrade room. We got some Falcons fans coming in for this weekend.
"Look at this room. They completely converted a suite at the Raiders stadium into a hotel room for two lucky fans to come stay here the night before the game and just enjoy. It's a company that I'm super blessed to work with and they do a great job putting on things like this. It's the ultimate room for real."
