Getty New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson on October 16, 2022.
The mood after the New York Jets Week 11 loss to the New England Patriots was one of frustration and outrage — both within the fanbase and the locker room.
One key player was particularly vocal after the 10-3 defeat, calling out the offense as a whole. “That s*** sorry,” rookie first-rounder Garrett Wilson told reporters after the game. “And we know that we’re not sorry, so that’s why it really hurts. We know that we better than that.”
Garrett Wilson went on, sending a message on “trust” that was presumably directed at either his offensive coordinator or his quarterback.
Jets WR Garrett Wilson Sends Vague Shot at Mike LaFleur & Zach Wilson
“Honestly I feel like they gotta put more trust in the receiver room,” Garrett Wilson stated boldly. “We can go up and make plays, do things, and I don’t know if everyone feels that way but hopefully by next week everyone feels that way.”
The first-year star was not willing to name OC Mike LaFleur directly in his criticism, but he did admit that as a receiver, he’s always going to “want the ball to be in [his] hands” during the bigger moments. Elijah Moore had a similar complaint earlier this season, as did Denzel Mims in 2021.
Of course, you could also blame Zach Wilson for the frustration inside the WR room, and maybe Garrett Wilson’s comments are directed at his QB rather than his play-caller.
“I don’t know, man,” the Ohio State product responded when asked why the quarterback play and passing attack weren’t working. “I just try to do my job to the best of my ability and we play a position where it takes all 11 [to succeed].”
Whoever Garrett Wilson is speaking toward, this is a growing problem that the Jets have to figure out. Is LaFleur an NFL coordinator or should head coach Robert Saleh consider replacing his best friend’s little brother in 2023? On a similar note, will the coaching duo stick together and petition general manager Joe Douglas to oust Zach Wilson in favor of a veteran signal-caller?
The correct answer might be somewhere in the middle, but that’s never the way these situations end up going. “It was dogs***,” Saleh said candidly during his postgame press conference. He also stood behind Zach Wilson as the starting quarterback, adding that the coaching staff has to find ways to “help him get better.”
One thing’s for sure, if LaFleur and Zach Wilson don’t fix this passing attack soon, they’ll have a full-on mutiny on their hands — and it’s no secret that every good mutiny needs a scapegoat.
Jets’ Passing Attack Is Shut Down vs Patriots
When Zach Wilson faced New England in Week 8, he was able to throw for 355 yards and two touchdowns. The catch-22 was that he also tossed three interceptions.
In Week 11, LaFleur definitely took a more conservative approach and that didn’t work either. Zach Wilson was nine of 22 for 77 yards this afternoon with zero touchdowns and zero turnovers — although two interceptions were dropped by Patriots defenders.
The wide receiver corps did make up the bulk of those numbers, totaling a measly 64 yards off six combined catches. More specifically, Garrett Wilson was totally shut down after his monster outing against New England a few weeks ago, with two receptions for 12 yards.
“This s*** is not ok,” the rookie wideout noted earlier in the interview. “Straight up, it is not ok. How many total yards did we have [103]? That s*** is not going to fly. We got the dudes. It’s time to be consistent. It’s time to win the games we should win.”
When your defense holds the opposition to three points, that’s definitely a game you should win.