Jets Will "Prove a Lot of People Wrong This Year" - Garrett Wilson

nothing's changed in our building yeah like I said we're going to go prove a lot of people you know wrong this year all right Al bre from Sports illustrator we got jet star receiver Garrett Wilson here um Garrett let's start with what you're here for you're here on behalf of Dr teals um and the job they do for athlete recovery so tell us a little bit about um about the work you're doing for them now yeah man I'm super excited to be working with them for another year um it's something that for me dates back to middle school you know my mom was big on the Dr Teal's the lavender salt and I took that upon myself to do it as well you know so in middle school before every every game I would you know take an Epson salt bath and and now it's two days ahead of every game I do one um and and really it's just for me it's it's something that I need for my recovery you know it's uh it's powered by magnesium which is which is really good for athletic recovery and um it's something that you know for me if I don't do it I don't feel right on Sundays so um you know I'm really excited to be working with them okay well you know you talk there about stuff you've learned over the years um I'm sure you learned a lot last year so I want to start just kind of with you personally coming off of you know the big rookie year you had being an offensive Rookie of the Year and and all the rest of it um I'm sure you had big plans for what 2023 was going to look like with Aaron coming in and everything else so I I just want to start with you personally and what individually um you took from from from the 2023 season and and if there's anything you learned that you think it's going to make you a better Pro um yeah I feel like I feel like this league is uh is a tough League man and and that was evident last year with with obviously our high expectations and then you know it it um things changing early in the season and and what I took away from that is just I got to be bulletproof right I got to be the same Garrett um you know no matter who's out there slinging it I got to find a way to to take advantage of every practice week um get better for my for myself right because you never know who's going to be out there and and that was my main takeaway and I feel like because of that I'm a better football player so um with that now having someone like Aaron you know back you know it's going to only going to help me I'm that much better because of what I what I went through because of uh you know because just you you got to be malleable in this league you got to be able to figure it out no matter what card you're dealt and uh that was my main takeaway last season yeah you know i' I've had interesting conversations with this with about this with Kyler Murray who you know I remember talking to him about how um you know he rarely ever lost growing up you know like he played at Allen in Dallas and I I think he was 45 and0 as a starter then goes to Oklahoma and they almost never lose there spent the year at A&M and it was a real adjustment for him getting to the pros and and having to deal with losing on a day in day out basis especially early in his career when they were losing a lot I I assume you've had something of a similar experience where you came from really good programs um how difficult have the last couple of years been for you where maybe you've had to deal with losing the clip that you never had to before in your life yeah it's been uh it's been tough man and and like I said this league is a hard League you got to show up every Sunday you got to get something out of every practice week or or they'll expose you you know the next week um and and it can be challenging you know to find that beauty in it when when you're losing but but um I think that encourages the the competitive side of you to come out even more which is which is a good thing you know I feel like um you got to be ready when that time does come you don't know when it's going to be you know it's not guaranteed because you're on a team it's not guaranteed because you went to Ohio State or this High School you're not just going to inherit this winning atmosphere you got to go out and do it and um and and there's a lot of Beauty in that and um you know I feel like I feel like we're ready for it now I'm excited you know it's just it's another opportunity another year to go out there and and prove the world wrong for what they think of the Jets right and um I know we take a lot of pride in that in our facility um but but like you said you know it's it's it's it's been a rough go as far as winning these first two years and and I truly think I'm a better person better player because of it and um yeah like I said I'm ready for that time to to to flip you know I'm ready for it to flip you know I've talked to your coaches about this part of it too that um it feels different around the team this year and I think I think uh you know Robert's trying to create that where where it's more just let's keep this about football um and I know like last year I think anybody who was around your team in the summer last year felt like you're almost like part of a show right you had Hard Knocks there and big crowds at every practice and all these expectations um how is the feel around the team different this year like if there's been an evolution for for in in the locker room as a whole how are the 2024 Jets different than the 2023 Jets were at the same point in the year yeah I mean I feel like the the noise outside of the building has has quieted um down a little bit but but as far as the expectation and the noise inside the building the excitement um nothing's changed you know we we feel like we're ready to go we just got to go out and do it you know feeling one way and going out and do it there's two separate things so um you know the distractions are real and and last year we we uh we had some and and uh you know I'm not to say I'm not saying we weren't ready for that I'm not saying that um we we couldn't have had a good season because the Hard Knocks was there no it's just nothing's changed in our building we expect to go out and win games we expect to get to where we want to go um it's just maybe the outside noise isn't as loud and and I think that's a good thing and um yeah like I said we're going to go prove a lot of people you know wrong this year where are you guys better as a team uh up front in the trenches you know I feel like I feel like that was the number one thing we had to to to figure out and and they did they went about the right way in the off season and and uh we'll be a better team because of it for sure the camera's caught you and and I'm sure you saw it on social media or whatever the camera's caught you and Aaron getting after each other a few times in training camp um I assume that's just part of getting better um can you give me like kind of an idea of how that relationship between you and Aaron has evolved and and in those moments where things get a little hot what you guys are working through yeah um those are those days that we have the fans come out and and they can see our practice you know that's rare for for um people to see people doing their job the prep for their job you know and and see it organically right um and and truly I I believe that's what it takes conversations like those um and and I'm blessed to have a quarterback that I can have conversations like that with and and truly learn something and take away something every time we have them um but yeah that's going to be the reason why we we you know are on you know we're on when we play it's because of conversations like that it's not always going to be um you know pretty to the to the camera right we we got a it's a tough sport we play it's a physical sport it's a um a sport for competitors man and and and that side comes out of us when we're out there on the field and and that's what you saw on those videos and um I'm just truly blessed to have Aaron because we can have conversations like that and and um and the ball's still coming next time we leave the field right you know next time we're out there on the field the ball's still coming you you know so it's it's uh it's really cool for me and and I'm learning every time we have those conversations um I'm learning how to maybe suppress it a little bit so that it doesn't look that way to the Optics but uh we got something out of those you know we got something out of those and and I'm thankful for it and um yeah you know things are going to look how it looks on social media but at the end of the day if we go out and play good football on Sundays all of a sudden you know there's not that much weight on that so um that's how I see it you were already a really good player to begin with um and Aaron's worked with a lot of great receivers over the years right like guys who are loyal to him like Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson and Randle Cobb and obviously Devonte Adams is a great example um how has he made you better you know because I I'd assume at this point you know when it comes to football you're you're constantly trying to chase like the extra 1% right like so where has Aaron Rogers like materially made you a better football player yeah just with his football knowledge his he's like another coach out on the field except for he can sling it the best of all time right yeah and um yeah it's it's one of those things where it's like with him if I can just have those conversations when we're in the film room when we're in um when we're having one-on ones you know I I truly feel like I get better from Gaining just a different point of view he like you said he's played with all these receivers he's he's got um a th000 personalities that he's dealt with in his career so that helps someone like me you know and I I haven't played with the quarterback that's been able to offer that same Insight um and then we translate it out onto the field you know that's the main thing with him we got to talk about these things once we talk about them you got to go do it it can't be a a weak buffer of of us getting it right out on the field so just being able to uh find a right way to go about your prep which is a huge thing in this league and and when someone plays until they're 40 That's not until not by accident you know he's he's um very intentional with his prep and every the way he goes about his recovery all of that so I try to take away as much as I can from that and it's really valuable man it is okay so like then when he was removed from the equation last year did feel a little bit Garrett like you became one of the I don't know one of the voices of the team and I and I and I know like after some of those games you could probably feel how your how your voice was starting to carry some weight right um what do you think going through last year taught you about being a leader and like having you know when you say something it means something in New York now you know yeah yeah um that everything matters you know everything matters what you say after the game what you say before and the way you go out and prep um if you're going to be a leader you got to do it every day every second you can't just pick and choose um your team's hearing everything you say your teammates your the people uh above you know the front office um it everything matters you know I would just say that and and uh when you have a guy like Aaron obviously he demands a lot of that attention um and for good reason he he's he's a a special talent and someone that is just cerebral wise like I've never been around anyone like that man he's truly you know a gift to the game of football and uh I tried to hold my end of it whenever all of a sudden that happens but it's impossible so um yeah just just knowing that it's not just going to be the words I say I got to go out and practice during the week like a leader I got to go out and and interact with my teammates the people in the front office like a leader um just everything matters is was one of my main takeaways all right last two things then um and I'll put you on the spot here a little bit like you guys have a tough start to the season right you gota go to San Francisco then got to go to Tennessee then short week back against the Patriots first three weeks have you set long-term individual and team goals for 2024 like what you want to accomplish in 2024 um I just know I we want to get to the playoffs I want to get to the playoffs I want to be part of a team that that uh gets to that second season and once you get to that second season who knows how it's going to play out who knows what's going to happen um we'll be ready to go I'm confident in that but but um that's the main goal I'm confident if we we go about things the right way and we get to where we um get to the playoffs the production will you know happen it'll it'll all take care of itself and um you know the number one Focus this year is just let's get to the playoffs and let's let's see where we're at and and go attack what our ultimate you know goal is all right then I'm going to ask you a selfish question because we went to the same school 20 years apart yeah um and I'm not going to ask you to go back to Paul Warfield or Chris Carter or anything like that but if you look at the last 10 years obviously there's been a lot of production in the NFL from Ohio State receivers who's the best one of the last decade uh probably Michael Thomas man he he was one of the first receivers to to get that um huge contract the production obviously was incredible coming out school and uh just an allaround great Buckeye I know he was a huge part in in me committing to the Buckeyes um him coming back and and having conversations with the recruits and uh just doing everything that matters all the little things that you know are off the field stuff like that you know as receivers you're watching and you see that and um you hope to emulate it so uh Michael Thomas man he he's he's gone out and done it who's the best one who was the best one as a college player then Marvin Harrison okay got to watch him the last two three years and he's special man and I'm confident that'll continue for the Cardinals they got a pretty good one there now too that could challenge him it looks like so yeah yeah Jeremiah is a special man and the Mecca's still there t i mean they got a great room but yeah the true freshman they got in is he's coming all right so that's Garrett Wilson star receiver for the Jets they open on Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers defending NFC Champs he's here for Dr tals thanks a lot here appreciate the time appreciate you thanks for having me on man [Music]