Position at a Glance in '26
It's Year 5 for No. 5 headlining the Jets wide receiver room. Despite finishing the 2025 season on injured reserve, Garrett Wilson is back and excited for the Green & White's 2026 offensive system overseen by Frank Reich.
"This is probably one of the offenses that I'm going to look back on in a few years and love the most," Wilson said. "It's really player empowering I'll say, I don't really know how else to put it."
Reich encourages his players to use their instincts to influence aspects of the system, which has been well liked by the receivers.
"We need to be extremely disciplined and detailed, but we don't want robots," Reich explained. "So … let me see what you've got and then let's talk about it. Now, I want you to run [the play] the way we want to run it sometimes, but then every now and then show me something that you like to do and let's work through it together."
Last year, the Jets received Adonai Mitchell in a midseason trade and he had some valuable playing experience in the eight games he suited for with the Green & White.
"I didn't really play too much my rookie year, so just getting that experience getting some type of playing time, it kind of felt like a rookie year, kind of a back half of a rookie year," Mitchell said during OTAs.
He had 24 receptions, 301 yards and 2 touchdowns with the Jets and had a full offseason to learn the scheme and get well acquainted with QB Geno Smith.
"I think he's going to be a special player for a long time," Smith said. "He's obviously got the talent, but what people might not see is the way that he works, the way that he studies, just the type of teammate that he is. He's a great teammate and I think that goes a long way. I'm really excited for him, but also the entire receiver and tight end group, the entire skill group — I think we've got some great players."
The oldest wideout in the room this season is Tim Patrick who signed with the Jets in May. He appeared in 16 games for the Jacksonville Jaguars and had 15 receptions for 187 yards and 3 touchdowns, as he prepares for his ninth NFL season.
Storyline to Watch
The Jets traded back into the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to take Omar Cooper Jr. off the board at No. 30 overall. The WR out of Indiana has a unique playmaking ability in big-game moments — think of the toe-tapping game-winning catch against Penn State in November.
"Just the way he plays the game is different," Adonai Mitchell said of the rookie. "He brings in an element that not a lot of guys are explosive as far as the things he does on the field, as far as run after catch and things like that. He's extremely explosive, so I think that's the best way to describe him."
According to PFF, Cooper generated 414 yards after the catch and his average depth of target was 9.2 yards. Once the pads come on, he'll be able to showcase that aspect of his game much more.
"That's a big part of my game so that's where I feel like I can take another step," Cooper said on "The Official Jets Podcast." "I feel like I've been doing really well through OTAs and minicamp so far, but I feel like with the pads on, I'll be a lot more comfortable and take it to a whole other level."
What They're Saying
When Mitchell became a Jet, Garrett Wilson was already on injured reserve so OTAs and minicamp were the first reps they got to take together.
"The dude is a baller," Mitchell said when asked by reporters for his first impressions of Wilson. "The body control that he has, just the way he plays the game of football is very different at this position and he does it at a high level. My job is to kind of match or kind of support in whatever way I can."
| Jets Player | Exper in '26 | '25 GP-GS-DNP-IA | '25 O-ST--Total Snaps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isaiah Williams | 3rd | 15 - 2 - 0 - 0 | 329 - 142 - 471 |
| Arian Smith | 2nd | 16 - 5 - 0 - 1 | 376 - 58 - 434 |
| Garrett Wilson | 5th | 7 - 7 - 0 - 2 | 383 - 0 - 383 |
| Adonai Mitchell | 3rd | 8 - 4 - 0 - 1 (NYJ) | 374 - 0 - 374 (NYJ) |
| Tim Patrick | 9th | 16 - 3 - 0 - 1 (JAX) | 336 - 25 - 361 (JAX) |
| Jamaal Pritchett | 1st | 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 | 0 - 0 - 0 |
| Omar Cooper Jr. | R | .................... | .................... |
| Caullin Lacy | R | .................... | .................... |
| Malik McClain | R | .................... | .................... |
| DT Sheffield | R | .................... | .................... |
| Gee Scott | R | .................... | .................... |
| Jalen Walthall | R | .................... | .................... |
Finished '25 Season on IR: Wilson
Finished '25 Season on Practice Squad: Pritchett
Signed Reserve/Future Contract: Pritchett
Draft Choice in '26: Cooper Jr. (Rd. 1, 30th overall)
Undrafted Rookie Free Agents in '26: Lacy, McClain, Scott, Sheffield, Walthall
WR Trivia
Garrett Wilson did what he could for the Jets' passing offense despite missing 10 games with a knee injury. In fact, G's 395 yards, on 36 catches, led all Jets receivers. It was Wilson's 4th straight year leading the team in receiving yardage, and if he does it again this season (with 1,000+, fingers crossed), he'll be the first to lead the Jets for any 5 consecutive seasons, not just from the start of a career.
