Jets star calls Stephen A. Smith a ‘real sellout’ for take. And ESPN star promises more (UPDATE)

4 days ago 2

UPDATE: Stephen A. Smith has responded to Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson on Thursday’s edition of “First Take” on ESPN.

“Did I stutter?” Smith asked before repeating it, via X/Twitter. “The Jets are horrible ... A couple of things, brother. If you check the news, ‘First Take’ record ratings, No. 1 show, coming April it’ll be No. 1 for 14 consecutive years. No. 2, with all the years of success that we’ve had, we’ve never had more success on this show than in 2025. Thank you.

“No. 3, Garrett Wilson, you’re a good brother, my man, and I don’t blame you for feeling salty about what I said. I wasn’t talking about you. I was pleading for you to get help. Meaning the kind of help Sauce Gardner got when they sent him to Indy ... I think players should be trying to get the hell up out of MetLife Stadium in a Jets or Giants uniform — moreso the Jets than the Giants.”

###

What should have been a routine debate on ESPN’s “First Take,” took a harsh turn when Stephen A. Smith weighed in on Oregon quarterback Dante Moore’s potential future with the Jets.

While debating whether Moore should return to school or risk being drafted by the Jets on “First Take,” Stephen A. Smith didn’t mince words, earning a sharp response from Jets star Garrett Wilson.

“Let me say this, and I’m damn near serious about this, I eat something to provoke myself to have food poisoning where I’m playing like garbage before I play for the Jets,” Smith said in a clip shared on X/Twitter. “I’m telling you right now, whatever I could do to be alive and be okay in the end, but to ruin their thought of ever wanting me on their roster, I would do.

“And dammit, I’d go back to college before I play for the Jets. They are a football atrocity. They are awful. I mean, straight garbage.”

Naturally, the clip circulated on social media, making it’s way to Wilson, who took exception to Smith’s take.

“Damn, (you) gotta be a real sell out (and) above all a square to be on ESPN nowadays,” Wilson wrote in the replies to that clip. “Used to love that show.”

Not one to back down, upon seeing Wilson’s reply, Smith promised a response on Thursday morning.

“Ooooooh! (Garrett Wilson). I can’t thank you enough for bring(ing) this up. I’ll be addressing this — and YOU — this morning on ‘First Take.’ See y’all in a couple of hours. #Can’tWait.”

Smith’s strong take is likely a reaction to how poorly the Jets have played for the better part of two decades. After finishing 3-14 this season, the Jets officially missed the postseason for a 15th consecutive year — the longest playoff drought in American professional sports.

During that span, the Jets have drafted quarterbacks in the first round several times. From Sam Darnold to Zach Wilson, none have panned out for the Jets — Darnold has won 14 games in consecutive seasons, earning two Pro-Bowl nods since leaving the New York.