Garrett Wilson Wasn’t Named a Jets Team Captain (and you shouldn’t care!)

New York Jets unveiled their six team captains for the 2026 season this week, and apparently there's been a lot of discussion about one very notable omission. That omission is wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who was not named a team captain. And I'm going to tell you right now, we don't care. We do not care. There is no reason to care. Let's talk about it. Jets announced two offensive captains, which were quarterback Gino Smith and offensive lineman Joe Tippman. And on defense, they had Harrison Phillips to Mario Davis and Minka Fitzpatrick as captains. Meanwhile, the special teams captain was wide receiver and return specialist Isaiah Williams. Just as a reminder, this was voted on by the players. Gino was an obvious one, he is the starting quarterback, and just like Justin Fields was named a team captain last year, the starting quarterback will always be named a team captain. Meanwhile, Joe Tippman gets the nod for the first time in his career, as the offensive line deserved some recognition, and Tippman is one of the most respected guys in that locker room. His addition is not a surprise. None of the names on defense should be much of a surprise. Harrison Phillips is one of the most respected leaders in that Jets locker room, coming over last year from Minnesota. Then there's Mario Davis, who is one of the most respected leaders in the entire NFL. And the same is probably true for Minka Fitzpatrick, another veteran who has been around a long time, who has accomplished a lot of things at a very high level, and is very respected. Like, all three of those guys should have been locked. And then there's always going to be a special teams captain. Last year, it was Marcelino McCrory Ball. This year, it is the obvious choice, which is Isaiah Williams, a guy who went from being cut last year to literally being named team MVP by the end of the season. He was always going to be the special teams captain this year. So that leaves Garrett Wilson on the outside looking in. Again, that's not a reason to be concerned. This is not a situation where the players are rejecting Garrett Wilson as a leader. There were just six captain spots, and the other guys all just received more votes. And again, Garrett Wilson isn't going to get more votes than a DeMario Davis or a Harrison Phillips. And Joe Tippman is very respected in that locker room, and you wanted some offensive line recognition, so he got the nod there. Wilson was a captain last year. He's not a captain this year, but it's all just symbolic in nature at the end of the day. Garrett Wilson is loved and respected by everybody around the New York Jets organization. I'm not sure there is a more universally beloved player on the Jets right now than Garrett Wilson. So no, I don't care that Garrett Wilson wasn't named team captain, and you should not care either. And none of this is going to matter in 24 to 48 hours when we're all talking about something else anyway. Move on. It doesn't matter.