New York Jets Star Wide Receiver Questions Versatility of Passing Game

Garrett Wilson had some things to say about the New York Jets’ passing game after a 2-2 start to the season.

New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson (5) receives a pass past Tennessee Titans cornerback L'Jarius Sneed (38) during the fourth quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson had it his way, the passing game would, in his own words, “mix it up.”

Through four games Wilson is the Jets’ leading receiver. He has 20 receptions with 191 yards and a touchdown. No receiver has been targeted more than Wilson (34). But his receptions and targets has a wide spread than players like Allen Lazard (16 receptions on 20 targets) and Breece Hall (18 receptions on 24 targets).

It looks good on paper, but he hasn’t cracked more than 60 yards in a single game, and that was the season opener. He also only has two big plays on the season. Lazard has twice as many.

Lazard, of course, has several years of chemistry built up with Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, as they played together in Green Bay.

This is really the first season Rodgers and Wilson have played with one another in game action, as Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon in the first game of last season.

But, there may be something more to it, as least from Wilson’s perspective.

He made an appearance on ESPN’s Bart and Hahn on Tuesday, the Jets’ off-day as they prepare for the Minnesota Vikings in London on Sunday. He was asked about the passing game and, well, he’s not sure the Jets are working with a full playbook, let’s just say.

“I don’t think we do a lot of different stuff to be honest,” he said. “I watch football on Sundays and I see a lot of teams mix it up and stuff like that. I don’t think we do that. I think we know our identity. It’s just about going out and executing it or figuring out if it’s going to work. I don’t think we’re trying a lot of different things.”

That could be seen as a thinly-veiled shot at offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. The play-caller has experience with both Rodgers and Lazard, as he helped coordinate the offense in Green Bay.

Hackett joined the staff last year, which means he has a year’s worth of experience with Wilson.

Without Rodgers last season, Wilson put together a great follow-up to his Offensive Rookie of the Year season in 2022. Last year he caught 95 passes on 168 targets with 1,042 yards and three touchdowns.

He’s on a pace of more than 80 receptions this season, which would be his third straight year with more than 80 receptions. But things aren’t clicking right now, and Wilson suggest the routes he’s running might be an issue.

“I know, personally, my route tree hasn’t been what it has been the last two years as far as the stuff I’ve been running,” Wilson said. “It’s just about figuring out if it's the right identity and whether it’s going to win games.”