Most people blame the Raiders' four-game skid on the run game or the defense, and they probably have a point. But what gets missed is how easy the passing game becomes to shut down once tight end Brock Bowers and wide receiver Tre Tucker are covered.
Nobody else in the receiver room makes defenses pay for that attention. Jalen Nailor and Cody White have caught 16 of the 39 passes thrown their way this season, and I have seen enough.
So when the New York Jets popped up next on the schedule, picking my guy took about five seconds. The Raiders sent Geno Smith to New York in March for a swap of late-round picks. The least the Jets could do now is send Garrett Wilson back the other way.
Here is why I want him.
He catches what you throw him
Wilson has 37 catches for 444 yards and
three touchdowns in the last seven games. Through the first six, he hauled in 72.9% of his targets, sixth-best among NFL wide receivers. The Raiders haven't had that kind of reliability from anyone outside of Tucker all season.
On top of that, his 37 catches are more than every Raiders wide receiver not named Tucker has managed combined, so one player would out-produce an entire position group.
He produces with whomever is throwing it
Wilson opened his career with three straight 1,000-yard seasons and won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2022. Funny enough, he did it while catching passes from Zach Wilson, Mike White, Joe Flacco, Trevor Siemian, and Aaron Rodgers, so a messy quarterback situation has never slowed him down.
The Raiders could use that kind of receiver right now. Quarterback Kirk Cousins is under pressure to keep his job, and rookie Fernando Mendoza could be next in line.
Either way, the offense needs someone who wins regardless of the name on the back of the quarterback's jersey.
He fits Fernando Mendoza's timeline
Wilson is 26 years old and locked in on the four-year, $130 million extension he signed with the Jets in July 2025. In other words, the Raiders wouldn't be renting a veteran for a playoff push. They would be pairing their No. 1 overall pick with a receiver in his prime for years to come.
Rookie quarterbacks grow faster with a target they can trust on third down, and Wilson has been that guy since the day he entered the league.
The Raiders are shopping anyway
Truth is, the Raiders have been linked to receivers ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline. ESPN's Bill Barnwell even called them the obvious candidate to land Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr.
Oddly enough, the Jets might be the team that could live without Wilson the longest. He caught only two passes against Miami last week, while rookie Omar Cooper Jr. and tight end Mason Taylor carried the passing game.
Nobody expects the Jets to move a player they just paid, but if the Raiders are going to make a call, I would want it going straight to Florham Park.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Gimme Him: One player the Raiders would steal from the Jets
