The New York Jets have been tearing apart their roster in the last year, trading away Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams at the trade deadline, and Jermaine Johnson at the start of the offseason.
They also shipped off Justin Fields to the Kansas City Chiefs, who were likely the most overpaid player on the roster before that deal became official. But now, there’s a different player on offense who’s the most overpaid player on the team.
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon named star wide receiver Garrett Wilson as the Jets’ most overpaid player. While he’s a good receiver, his $130 million contract is a massive deal that likely goes beyond what he’s provided on the field in his career thus far.
Jets’ most overpaid player is Garrett Wilson
“He’s still technically cheap for now, but that four-year, $130 million extension kicks in next year and Wilsons’ $32.5 million AAV ranks sixth at the position,” Gagnon writes. “The talent and potential are undeniable, but this is a guy who has never put up 1,200 yards or eight touchdowns in a single season and is making borderline Justin Jefferson money.”
The Jets’ spending so much on Wilson might, in a vacuum, be a mistake. But, with how the roster is constructed, with all of the available cap space and major holes on offense, overspending on Wilson isn’t a bad idea.
Keeping Wilson on the Jets likely cost them more than some other team might have been able to sign him for in free agency, or if he were on another team.
Wilson, the 2022 Offensive Rookie of the Year, had a career-best season in 2024 with 1,104 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 101 receptions.
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Compared to other wide receivers making as much money as he is, his best season is a far cry from their best years in the NFL.
But there is an explanation for that. The Jets’ quarterbacks and offensive environment have not been conducive to Wilson recording elite numbers in any season of his career.
If the Jets could only find a good quarterback and have a good offensive playcaller, Wilson might be able to put up an All-Pro caliber season that proves his massive $130 million contract is worth it.
Wilson might be the “most overpaid Jets player,” but his massive contract is one the Jets can afford, especially since they’re in the middle of a rebuild.
