After a tough start to the season, things seemed to finally turn the corner for the New York Jets after the bye week. Thanks to a newsworthy trade deadline securing their future draft capital and winning back-to-back games, fans were happy with the progress. Along with head coach Aaron Glenn for capturing his first wins as an NFL coach. Unfortunately, it wasn’t all positive after Sunday’s win against the Cleveland Browns. After already missing the previous two games due to a knee injury, it appears star wide receiver Garrett Wilson might have aggravated it. Held catchless in his first game back, ESPN’s Rich Cimini reported that Wilson did suffer a knee sprain. While it won’t require season-ending surgery, Wilson is expected to be out for at least three weeks.
Bad news for the #Jets offense: WR Garrett Wilson is expected to miss at least 3-4 weeks with a knee sprain, source says. Good news is no surgery, just rehab.
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) November 10, 2025
Report: Jets Star Garrett Wilson Out For Three Games After Knee Sprain
The first year of rookie head coach Aaron Glenn’s tenure has been tough on the Jets. Training camp saw the team lose its best run blocker in Alijah Vera-Tucker for the season. Along with going winless until week 8. In addition, the gamble on quarterback Justin Fields has led to a bottom-of-the-league passing game. Nonetheless, Garrett Wilson still found a way to carry the load. In only seven games, Wilson leads the team in catches, receiving yards, and touchdowns. However, during the Jets loss to the Denver Broncos in London, Wilson suffered a knee injury late in the game.
Out of precaution, the Jets held Wilson out of their next two games between the Carolina Panthers and the Cincinnati Bengals before their bye week. After going 1-1, the Jets activated Wilson ahead of Sunday’s game. Unfortunately, between the Browns defense and Justin Fields inconsistent play, Wilson was held catchless for the first time in his career. Alas, it appears the injury was compromised further. As a result, the Jets will play it safe and avoid aggravating it by keeping Wilson sidelined. With only 398 yards in the season, Wilson’s streak of 3 straight 1,000+ yard seasons could be in jeopardy.
Opportunity For New Additions to Make An Impact
The loss of Garrett Wilson already weakens an abysmal passing game in New York. Averaging only 143.8 passing yards per game, the Jets are the worst passing situation in the league. Outside of tight end Mason Taylor, few pass catchers have had the opportunity to grow. Realizing they needed a spark, general manager Darren Mougey took a swing during the trade deadline. With Garrett Wilson’s injury, now is the chance for these two new additions to potentially step up.
In two separate Jets trades, New York acquired wide receivers under the age of 26 in separate deals. Initially, the Jets got John Metchie from the Philadelphia Eagles. After trading away cornerback Michael Carter, the Jets gained the 25-year-old former second-round pick in exchange. While Metchie saw limited action, they expect Metchie to still have shades of the 1,000-yard receiver he was back at Alabama years ago.
Along with Metchie, the team acquired 2024 second-round pick Adonai Mitchell from the Indianapolis Colts. Thus far, Mitchell has only nine catches on the season for 152 yards. Despite a slow start to his career in Indianapolis, Mitchell earned a notable fan in Colts wide receivers coach Reggie Wayne. The Colts coach & long-time receiver is sad to no longer work with Mitchell and sees a lot of potential in the former Texas Longhorn. In 2023, Mitchell had 845 yards and 11 touchdowns on 55 catches in his junior year at Texas.
It’s important to note that the Jets face the AFC East-leading New England Patriots on the road this Thursday. It’s hard to expect much from a short week for these new additions. But if Justin Fields can just avoid the little mistakes, both receivers could make a good first impression on fans during Wilson’s absence.
Main Photo: [Vincent Carchietta] – Imagn Images