Garrett Wilson blasts Jets’ offense after ‘worst year of my life’
A somber Garrett Wilson did not give a ringing endorsement to offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett on Monday.
The second-year receiver who seemed very down after the Jets finished 7-10 did not mention Hackett by name, but said the Jets need to be better on offense, particularly when it comes to making in-game adjustments.
“What happened this season can’t happen again,” Wilson said. “It’s got to be better. We’ve got to make adjustments in the game. We’ve got to do things to counter what we’re getting and be able to put points on the board, because in the two years I’ve been here, honestly, it’s been tough. It’s been tough going.”
Wilson said the Jets can’t worry about who is at quarterback.
“Football hasn’t been this hard as far as offense,” Wilson said. “When I watch it on the sideline and it doesn’t look that hard for the other team. We’ve got to figure something out to get it rolling, no matter who’s slinging it. I know that Aaron [Rodgers] will be an offense in itself because that’s just what he brings to the table. He’s special, man. I pray that everyone in the world gets to see that next year. But, yeah, what happened this year can’t happen again.”
Wilson finished the season with 95 receptions for 1,042 yards and three touchdowns.
When someone told him he had a good year, he disagreed.
“I hear that I had a good year. It’s the worst year of my life, dog,” Wilson said. “That’s the reality of it.”
Wilson, who was clearly frustrated this season, said he thinks this disappointing season can help him in the long run.
“I think going to a place that you never want to go again is valuable,” Wilson said. “I think I had to get to know myself a lot better. I got to find that fire in me that still tells yourself that you’re the man and that you can go do the things that you were once doing.
“When we are holding the Lombardi Trophy up, it will because of the years like this. I have faith in that. I’m confident in that. I’m going to try to keep that faith.”
Jets coach Robert Saleh said they want to keep OL Alijah Vera-Tucker at one position next year instead of moving him from guard to tackle like they have in the last two seasons, which have both ended in Vera-Tucker suffering season-ending injuries in October.
“We want to get him at one spot,” Saleh said. “There’s a lot of reasons to believe that some of the injuries … his curse is his ability to move from one spot to another, his versatility. I’m not sure if that’s contributing to why he got hurt the last two years. … Whatever we decide whether it’s left guard, right guard, right tackle, left tackle, we want him to stay in that spot and never move through hell or high water regardless of injury to give him a chance to play and stay healthy for 2024.”
