Garrett Wilson was supposed to be the one piece they held onto through all of it.
They signed him to a four-year, $130 million extension last July with $90 million guaranteed.
He is 25 years old, a three-time 1,000-yard receiver when healthy, and the exact kind of foundational skill player a young franchise quarterback needs around him.
None of that has stopped his name from surfacing in trade chatter heading into draft week.
Per Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports, teams that do not land a wide receiver early in the draft will likely place calls to the Jets about Wilson's availability.
Robinson was careful about framing it properly.
"This one is flying a little under the radar given that the Jets do not appear to have interest in moving off Wilson right now," he wrote. He added: "I'd never say it's impossible."
Why the Calls Will Come
The 2026 wide receiver class is considered thin at the very top.
Jordyn Tyson, Carnell Tate, and Makai Lemon are the names generating the most buzz, but none of them is a consensus can't-miss prospect.
🚨🚨The #Jets are not looking to trade Garrett Wilson, but calls from interested teams are expected over the coming days pic.twitter.com/J2eT7ZQdj5
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) April 20, 2026
Teams that miss out on all three Thursday night and are still searching for a genuine No. 1 option may find Wilson's price tag attractive relative to the risk of developing a Day 2 prospect.
The Jets franchise-tagged Breece Hall at $14.3 million and already traded Gardner after signing him to an extension, which is the specific precedent that makes this conversation worth having at all.
Robinson cited that Gardner move as evidence that GM Darren Mougey is not sentimental about big contracts when the right deal presents itself.
Wilson missed seven of seventeen games last season with a knee injury, which would cap his trade value somewhat relative to a fully healthy offseason.
Why a Trade Is Still Unlikely
The Jets are planning to target a quarterback in the 2027 draft, widely considered a superior class to this one.
That plan only works if Wilson is waiting on the other side.
A young quarterback handed a depleted skill position group is not a recipe for the kind of player development the Jets need.
.@JakeAsman is HEATED after reading a Yahoo Sports report speculating about a potential Garrett Wilson #Jets trade during the #NFLDraft:
— The Jake Asman Show (@JakeAsmanShow) April 18, 2026
"You guys are an absolute disgrace ... This is pathetic ... If you did an ounce of research, you would know this is a horse crap story."… pic.twitter.com/gpLBzPY8e7
Robinson made clear that the Jets want Wilson around as the centerpiece of the offense Geno Smith will run in 2026 and the future franchise quarterback will inherit in 2027.
The team also holds the No. 2 and No. 16 overall picks this week and could still add another receiver in the first round.
If they do, it makes a Wilson trade even less likely. But the calls are coming regardless.
When a franchise receiver is playing for a team in rebuild mode on a $90 million guarantee, every team with a receiver need and enough capital to make an offer is going to pick up the phone.
Photo Credit: Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
.jpg)