Justin Jefferson contract starts the clock on Jets’ Garrett Wilson
Earlier this week, Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings signed a massive contract extension to remain with the team for another four years. His deal makes him the highest paid non-quarterback in the NFL. The deal is a four-year extension worth $140 million with over $88 million guaranteed. That’s an average of $35 million per […]
Earlier this week, Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings signed a massive contract extension to remain with the team for another four years. His deal makes him the highest paid non-quarterback in the NFL.
The deal is a four-year extension worth $140 million with over $88 million guaranteed. That’s an average of $35 million per year. This record-setting deal has redefined the wide receiver market.
Meanwhile, the Jets are looking at their own number one wide receiver in Garrett Wilson and are likely wondering what it will cost to keep him in Jets green beyond his rookie deal.
Wilson was drafted 10th overall by the Jets in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Ohio State. He was their second pick that year after taking Sauce Gardner number four overall and both players have lived up to their lofty draft status.
Wilson has gone over 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first two seasons earning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2022. What’s most impressive is he has done so catching passes from Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco, Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian. It will be fun to watch what he is capable of with a talented quarterback throwing him the ball.
What Factors Will Determine Wilson’s Contract
Wilson will be up for a new contract as early as 2025, after his third season in the NFL. While the Jets will likely pick up Wilson's fifth-year option to give them more time for a new deal, the price will have gone up even higher for a quality receiver by then. Wilson’s current rookie deal has him making about $5 million a year.
The trend this offseason, and possibly for the long-term, is shorter contracts for high-end wide receivers. In addition to the A.J. Brown and Jefferson extensions, three other wide receivers have signed for at least $25 million per year, as 2021 first-round picks Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle received respective three-year extensions from the Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles for $25 million and $28.25 million per year. Amon-Ra St. Brown briefly become the league's highest-paid wide receiver in late April when he signed a four-year, $120.01 million extension with the Lions, averaging $30 million per year.
There are still more top-end wide receivers who will sign new deals in the coming months and next year that will also factor into the contract Wilson will make. CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys and Ja’Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals are two who will come very close to, if not surpass Justin Jefferson’s contract.
The gap between Jefferson's guarantees and the rest of the wide receiver market will still need to be bridged if Lamb falls short of Jefferson's $35 million per year on a four-year extension. Brown trails Jefferson in overall guarantees by $26 million.
Besides the wide receiver market, the Jets will need to worry about other players who are looking to get paid in the building. It’s nice when you hit on so many draft picks in one season, but at some point, you must figure out how to pay them all. In addition to Wilson and Sauce, the Jets also drafted Jermaine Johnson and Breece Hall in 2022.
Breece Hall is the most pressing of the group to get an extension done, because he was a second-round choice and therefore is ineligible for a fifth-year option. Hall will be a free agent after the 2025 season.
There is only so much money to go around with the salary cap and that doesn’t take into account the Jets still needing to find a quarterback when Rodgers eventually hangs it up.
What Will a Wilson Extension Look Like
The Jets are better off negotiating earlier than later with a guy like Wilson. The wide receiver market can be reset almost every year, and it is best to get him signed before price gets too high. Wilson has already shown how good and durable he can be (he has yet to miss a game) despite getting very little help from his coaches or the quarterback.
While he hasn’t shown quite the talent that Justin Jefferson has shown, he isn’t too far off. Wilson is a top 10 receiver in the NFL and he should be paid as such. After what I assume will be his best year this season considering the upgrade in QB play, I imagine a deal in $30 million per year range is likely where he will wind up. Maybe a 4-year $120 million extension with $80 million guaranteed. Considering what wide receiver market will be in a year or two and how imagine he will play, that’s a number I would sign him for in a second.
I imagine Wilson is likely the second most important extension behind Sauce Gardner that is already weighing on Joe Douglas’ mind. Both Wilson and Gardner are solid foundational pieces that can wind up in Canton wearing Jets uniforms. You don’t let players like that walk out the door.
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