Better than Odell? Jets’ Garrett Wilson sparks debate among teammates with outrageous TD catch vs. Texans

From high above the field at MetLife Stadium it looked as if the Jets were going to watch yet another opportunity – and likely any hope of saving their season – slip quietly away into the night.
Aaron Rodgers’ pass on third-and-19, early in the fourth quarter was falling fast toward the pylon in the back left corner of the north end zone. And when it arrived above the goal line, Garrett Wilson was still on the ground a few yards into the end zone, fighting for space with Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter, looking back at a ball that seem destined to sail high over the left shoulder of the receiver.
And then it happened.
Wilson launched skyward off his right leg, twisted his shoulders back toward the pass, and fully extended his right arm over and behind his head, to snag the ball with one hand. He fell to earth in a way that seemed to defy biomechanics, planting his left foot in the turf just long enough to arrest his forward motion as he looked down and tried to keep both of his legs in bounds before sliding through the back of the end zone.
It took less than a second from takeoff to touchdown. But Wilson will be answering questions about it for the rest of his life.
Yes, his 26-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter of the Jets’ 21-13 comeback win over the Texans was that good.
It was so good that it immediately brought comparisons to a legendary touchdown catch made in the same stadium, on the other side of the same end zone, by a young receiver for the other hometown team nearly a decade ago.
“It would rival the Odell [Beckham, Jr.] catch,” Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said, recalling the one-handed touchdown grab the Giants star made against the Cowboys in November of 2014. “It was amazing.”
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Wilson’s catch was the talk of the sports world on Thursday night and into Friday morning. And it was no different in the Jets locker room, where the coach and players found themselves stacking it up against Beckham’s legendary grab. Many of them without even being asked to.
“That’s the catch of the year,” cornerback D.J. Reed told SNY. “There ain’t even a catch that can come – that’s better than the Odell catch! For real. I ain’t never seen something like that live, bro. For that to be on Thursday Night Football, primetime. Garrett’s that guy.”
Others weren’t ready to give Wilson that kind of credit before delving into the tape.
“That catch [is] up there with Odell’s,” cornerback Sauce Gardner said. “I’m not just going to say it’s better than Odell’s, but it’s up there. I’ve really got to analyze Odell’s [catch] one more time. But that was a great catch, man.”
Tight end Tyler Conklin wasn’t willing to go there, either.
“I don’t know which one was better,” Conklin said. “They’re both pretty damn good catches.”
But Conklin, who was standing just a few feet from Wilson when he made the catch, said it was the best catch he’s witnessed live. And that’s significant, considering Conklin got a front row seat to Justin Jefferson’s first two years in the league as his teammate with the Vikings.
“Justin Jefferson is pretty good,” Conklin said. “But I don’t think I’ve seen a catch like that. Not in person.”
So what did Wilson think of the catch compared to Beckham’s?
“Man, Odell’s, it was different,” Wilson said, grinning. “He got two feet down. The ball was fitting to land out of bounds. And it was Odell, man. It was Odell against the Cowboys. That was the one. So for it to even come up in that convo. I’m blessed. I’m honored.”
But as a reporter pointed out, the Giants lost that game to the Cowboys.
“You know what? Alright,” Wilson said laughing and nodding. “Fair enough. Fair enough.”
Wilson’s also came in the fourth quarter of a must-win game for the Jets. Beckham’s came in the second quarter of a game the Giants lost to fall to 3-8.
But Beckham’s catch was longer 46 yards compared to Wilson’s 26-yarder, and he was interfered with and still came down with the ball, and there was zero doubt that he had gotten both feet in bounds for the touchdown.
Wilson’s catch was ruled incomplete on the field in real time, leading to some tense moments on the sideline after Ulbrich threw the challenge flag to put the play under review.
“I was just, ‘S—, we needed it,” Conklin said of his immediate reaction. “It was a big play. Third-and-long. We need that touchdown. At first, excitement. Then everybody was like, ‘Oh, crap. Is it good? Is it not good?’”
Wilson’s instincts told him it was a touchdown immediately. He got up and started to celebrate with Conklin. And then he saw the official giving the incomplete sign and started to worry. And seeing the play again on the video boards in the stadium didn’t ease his concern.
“Honestly, watching the replay, I didn’t know if they were going to count that one to be honest,” Wilson said. “I was like, ‘I hope that one counts, I hope that’s not one of those that I have to be like what if.’”
But Ulbrich knew what Wilson wasn’t quite certain of, he only needed his shin (not his knee) to land in bounds for it to be a touchdown. And that’s why he felt confident throwing the red flag after seeing the immediate replays.
“With the shin,” Ulbrich said. “I thought it was close enough to definitely challenge.”
But it was also close enough for Ulbrich to do some lobbying while the play was under review. And it was the Beckham catch that came to mind as a he did it.
“I was talking to the ref while they were reviewing it,” Ulbrich said. “And [I] said, ‘Just for the sake of posterity, you have to say that is in. Just so it goes down in history.’”
We all know what the review determined. Only time will tell how Wilson’s catch stacks up against Beckham’s in history.
But no matter where that debate lands, there’s no argument: for this year’s Jets, at the end of this miserable month, one of the greatest catches in franchise history, to help secure a win they had to have, is plenty good enough.
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Andy Vasquez may be reached at [email protected].