With the NFL trade deadline approaching and the New York Jets sinking to 2-5, few names have generated more speculation than Garrett Wilson, and no team has been tied to the star receiver more often than the San Francisco 49ers.

Analysts have both pointed to San Francisco as the ideal destination, with one proposal sending a 2027 first-round pick and a fourth-rounder to New York, while local voices around the Bay Area have spent the better part of a month urging general manager John Lynch to pick up the phone and make an aggressive offer.

That chatter grew louder after Sunday’s 28-25 home loss to a Miami Dolphins team that entered the afternoon without a win.

Wilson went without a target for the entire first half and finished with just two catches for 26 yards on three looks, and with roughly nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, CBS cameras caught him animated on the sideline, shouting in the direction of quarterback Geno Smith and passing-game coordinator Seth Ryan.

Wilson later explained that his frustration stemmed from the team’s red-zone play-calling rather than from Smith himself, and head coach Aaron Glenn described the moment as overblown.

Yet, the image of the Jets’ best offensive weapon venting during another lost Sunday only added fuel to a fire that was already burning.

For a 49ers team that opened the year 6-0 and has positioned itself among the NFC’s Super Bowl favorites, the appeal is easy to understand.

Injuries have thinned the receiver room considerably, with Mike Evans dealing with an Achilles issue and Deebo Samuel sidelined by a hamstring strain, leaving Brock Purdy without the reliable depth a championship offense typically requires in January.

Wilson, still only 26, has caught 37 of his 51 targets for 444 yards and three touchdowns despite playing in one of the league’s least productive passing attacks, and he remains on pace for his fourth 1,000-yard campaign in five seasons.

Pairing that kind of route-running versatility with Kyle Shanahan’s scheme and an efficient quarterback would give San Francisco a weapon not only for this postseason push but for years to come, since Wilson is under contract through 2030.

Whatever the outside noise suggests, Wilson made it clear on Wednesday that he has no intention of forcing his way out.

Speaking to reporters, the former Offensive Rookie of the Year said he has not requested a trade and will not, explaining that he has seen the rumors swirling on social media but is choosing to focus on what he can control.

He added that he loves playing in New York, though he was candid enough to admit, “Do I love it more than I love winning? Nah,” before saying he remains hopeful about the direction of the team.

That stance, combined with reports that the Jets have no plans to move a player they just signed to a four-year, $130 million extension, makes a blockbuster deal feel unlikely, especially with more than $24 million in dead money attached to a 2027 trade.

Still, until the deadline passes, the 49ers will remain the team most closely linked to one of the league’s most talented and most underused receivers.