Jets could get added bonus with Buckeye buddies Garrett Wilson, Justin Fields reunited
Justin Fields and Garrett Wilson once shared the field together, middle, as teammates at Ohio State. Now, they are teammates once again with the Jets. Credit: Lee S. Weissman; Getty Images/Christian Petersen; Ed Murray
Garrett Wilson’s and Justin Fields’ first memories of each other at Ohio State are not the same, but they can agree that they shared some great times and can’t wait to create more now that they’ve been reunited with the Jets.
“I’m excited to go make some new ones, for sure,” Wilson said.
The Jets will open the season next Sunday at MetLife Stadium against their former quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, and the Steelers. First-time head coach Aaron Glenn decided he wanted Fields to lead his offense, not Rodgers, who was released in March.
Fields’ relationship and previous chemistry with Wilson could be a bonus for the Jets.
There were rumblings that Wilson might have requested a trade if Rodgers had returned. Wilson showed no signs of frustration in training camp after doing so a few times in the brief Rodgers era. Wilson and Fields have honest conversations if one of them messes up, knowing they’re trying to bring the best out of each other.
“When I got here,” Fields said, “it’s like our relationship didn’t skip a beat.”
The Jets signed Fields to a two-year, $40 million deal in free agency. They gave Wilson a four-year, $130 million extension before the start of training camp. The two have been dynamic and explosive separately in the NFL. Now they have an opportunity to do it together.
Glenn’s team could surprise if the Fields-Wilson connection picks up where it left off in Columbus, Ohio. Former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields throws a pass to Garrett Wilson during a game against Penn State on Oct. 31, 2020 in State College, Pennsylvania. Credit: Getty Images/Scott Taetsch
It was established in 2019. The way Wilson remembers it, it happened on Day 1.
They were staying in the same dorm. Fields had just come through the transfer portal from Georgia. Wilson was a freshman.
There was a football dinner. Wilson, who graduated high school after his junior year, was driven there by his parents, and they gave Fields a lift. Wilson remembers his outgoing dad getting the soft-spoken Fields to open up a little.
“We’re in the car, and my dad’s talking with Justin, trying to peel back the layers a little bit,” Wilson said. “My dad all of a sudden had him laughing in the back. From that point on, I feel like the second day of practice, we were snapping.”
Fields’ first memories of Wilson are a little different. They were from pickup basketball games in a little gym near the dorms a couple of weeks later. Then during spring practices, Fields remembers Wilson “Moss-ing” defensive backs — a la Hall of Famer Randy Moss — and “dunking on everybody” in hoops.
Their stories may not match, but they had quite a connection.
Ohio State went 20-2 in the two seasons in which Fields and Wilson played together. Wilson caught 66 passes from Fields for 1,031 yards and nine touchdowns on a team that also featured receivers Chris Olave and Jameson Williams.
Tight end Jeremy Ruckert and new Jets center Josh Myers — who began his career in Green Bay — also were on those Ohio State teams. Myers said Fields and Wilson clicked right away.
“It was immediate,” Myers said. “They had a great connection in college, and I don’t think it’ll be any different here.”
Wilson credits Fields with giving him a chance in practice to prove himself as a freshman against some upperclassmen just days after the car ride with his family.
“He kind of threw it up and I just went and got it,” Wilson said. “From that point on, it felt like he had my back, he was going to push me along, make sure I was getting in the rotation.
“I’m thankful for our relationship that we had in college. I’m certain that it’s why I’m where I’m at now because of playing with guys like Justin.”
Wilson and Fields always wanted to play with each other again, and now they are.
Fields called Wilson “special” and “a game-changer, especially when he has the ball in his hands.”
The plan, according to Glenn and new offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand, is to get Wilson the ball often. He averaged 93 catches and 1,083 yards in his first three NFL seasons while playing with seven different quarterbacks.
It’s been a rough road for both players. Wilson, an admittedly terrible loser, is 15 games under .500 in his Jets career. Fields is 16 below after playing for the Bears and Steelers. He’s performed better as a runner than a passer.
The Jets are Fields’ third team in three years. Glenn is his fourth coach in five seasons and Engstrand his fourth offensive coordinator. Maybe the Jets can provide the stability that Fields has been missing and Fields can do the same for Wilson.
After the Bears drafted Fields with the No. 11 pick in 2021, Wilson, who still was at Ohio State, would watch the games. Wilson thought he would have caught some of the passes by Fields that went incomplete.
“For me, it’s always been like, ‘Man, I’d love to go to play with him,’ ” Wilson said. “We know exactly what we’re thinking, and that’s so key . . . I know exactly what he can do. I still think the world’s got to see. That’s a beautiful thing about this: We all got something to prove on this team.”
Perhaps no one more than Fields, who hopes he and Wilson can win with the Jets the way they did at Ohio State.
“It definitely would mean a lot,” Fields said. “We’ve had a great friendship so long. It would be cool, for sure.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
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