Chiefs Reportedly Had Interest In Jets Star Receiver

The Kansas City Chiefs just traded for receiver Josh Downs of the Indianapolis Colts, but there were other options that were pursued. According to a report from Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk, both the Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers had interest in trading for Garrett Wilson of the New York Jets. 

Simmons’ report referenced reporting from Rich Cimini of ESPN, and it’s the logic Wilson applied to the situation that’s especially hard to believe. The reporter said Wilson didn’t want to leave New York, and the Jets didn’t want to trade Wilson, who is under contract through 2030 and is seen as a foundational piece. 

We’ll leave the question of “foundation for what?” for another time, but Wilson does have plenty of financial reasons to stay in New York. He was the No. 10 pick overall in the 2022 draft, and the Jets exercised their fifth-year option for Wilson in April, then signed him to a four-year, $130 million in July. 

Wilson has put up the numbers to justify the deal. He registered over 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first three seasons, per Simmons, but the receiver was hurt for much of last year and he only played in seven games. His numbers were 36 catches for 395 yards with four touchdowns.  

He’s already exceeded those number this year in eight games this year, with 43 receptions for 527 yards and three touchdowns. 

Wilson appears to have a love/hate relationship with New York, with the “hate” part being mostly about the Jets. He’s gone off on a couple of sideline rants lately because he wasn’t targeted enough, with those rants directed at Seth Ryan, the passing game coordinator who’s responsible for relaying calls from Frank Reich up in the booth to get them executed on the field. 

The receiver would have been an intriguing addition for the Chiefs. They haven’t had a receiver with that kind of productivity since they traded receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins, and Wilson would come minus the off-field problems as long as he’s targeted, which would absolutely happen. 

But the cost would have been prohibitive, both in added salary and draft pick which is why the Chiefs likely punted on making this kind of trade. Paying that much money for a receiver was part of the reason the Chiefs traded Hill to begin with, as Mahomes’ huge contract dictates the need for mostly lower-cost options around him.