Jets' Garrett Wilson discusses recovering from 'worst year' of his life

In January, New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson said he had endured "the worst year of my life" after the club finished what began as a promising season at 7-10.

Wilson spoke on Wednesday about his experience from Week 1 through Week 18 of the 2023 campaign.

"I felt like I had to get my feet back under me, my head right," Wilson explained, as Antwan Staley of the New York Daily News shared. "...Just disconnect a little bit when you have your time to spend with family, spend with loved ones and people that care about you. You gotta embrace it, you gotta go do it and see the world. I’m blessed to be in this position, so I want to reap some of the benefits when I have the time, and I feel like that’s the only way to go about it. When you get that opportunity to disconnect, you got to do it so you can reconnect when the time comes."

The Jets entered September with Super Bowl expectations but saw those hopes disappear once quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles just four offensive snaps into the regular-season opener. Rodgers apologized to Wilson on the night he went down with the campaign-ending setback, but such words couldn't alter the harsh reality of the club's situation.

ESPN stats show that Wilson led the Rodgers-less Jets last season with 95 receptions, 168 targets and 1,042 receiving yards. He also tallied three touchdown catches.

Per Bridget Hyland of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, Wilson discussed how his working relationship with Rodgers has changed since last spring.

"We’re able to have some conversations that we weren’t able to have at this time last year," Wilson said about Rodgers. "Those tougher conversations — those ones where we might disagree, where we do agree. He’s got his two cents, which is always the best two cents out there. And me being who I am, I’m gonna throw my two cents in there, and it’s been awesome."

The Jets remain all-in on Rodgers for at least another campaign. If things again go poorly for the club, Wilson could, in his own words, look for a way to "disconnect" from the franchise for more than just an offseason.