NASHVILLE, Tenn — It had been nearly a year since Garrett Wilson played in a real football game.
On Sunday, it looked like he remembered what he was doing.
Wilson returned to the Jets lineup after missing the final 10 games last season due to a knee injury and had an immediate impact. Wilson had six catches for 79 yards and looked like his old self in the Jets’ 23-10 win over the Titans.
“It was good for me to get back out there and get that confidence back,” Wilson said. “I kind of got knocked around early so I was like, ‘OK, this is what it feels like to get hit again.’ After that, you’re ready to play. It was good to be out there and for me to have to make some plays. My team relying on me, I missed that feeling. I love ball. It was good to be out there.”
Wilson is in his fifth season with the Jets and has experienced plenty of losing, so his joy in winning was obvious after this one.
He stopped at the locker room door to speak to owner Woody Johnson, with the two sharing a moment.
Wilson came up with plenty of big catches, but none were bigger than a 31-yard gain in the third quarter that kick-started a touchdown drive that put the Jets up 17-3 and made the game feel over.
The Jets rolled up 367 yards, but Wilson said the Jets offense can improve by cleaning up mistakes.
“We still left a lot on the field,” Wilson said. “That was the best part about it.”
Wilson went over 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first three seasons. That led to the Jets rewarding him with a four-year, $130 million contract extension last summer. But Wilson had his worst season with just 395 receiving yards thanks to a knee injury ending his year early.
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The Jets had a happy locker room after this one and Wilson was all smiles.
“I feel like when you have a plan and you go out and do it right, it’s a reason to celebrate,” Wilson said. “That’s why you hear that. So, at the end of the day, it’s a big game for us. It was first game of the season. We we’re on the road. It’s a big game for us.”
