Ossenfort: Cards want Wilson ‘for a long time’

Wilson’s day would have looked a lot different if a would-be 36-yard touchdown pass from Jacoby Brissett had not glanced off Wilson’s fingertips while he dove for it in the end zone. He had another 30-yarder go off his hands on the following drive, and had a five-yard catch overturned by a penalty. The disappointing box score results could allow fantasy managers to send a successful buy-low offer. Wilson is a WR2/3 next week against the Broncos.

Cardinals fans appear to be pining for the team to bench Jacoby Brissett and start the rookie in the coming weeks as another season circles the drain for Arizona. Beck so far has been the Cards’ emergency third quarterback. Urban said there remains a “chance Beck is made the backup this week or next and allow him to come on in relief if the situation presents itself. I don’t see Beck starting in the immediate future, but it does feel his time grows closer, and if the offense continues to sputter, that would be understandable.” Brissett this season ranks 15th in passing yards. He’s thrown nine touchdowns to five interceptions and ranks 30th out of 37 qualifying QBs in adjusted yards per attempt. He won’t be a viable fantasy play this week against a tough Rams coverage unit.

Wilson almost scored a passing touchdown via an end-around trick play on the Cardinals’ opening drive, but his receiver, Jacoby Brissett, was stopped two yards shy of the end zone. Heartbreak struck again two drives later, when Wilson only got one foot in bounds along the sideline on a would-be 19-yard catch. Brissett went right back to him on the following play, but the contested pass edged past Wilson’s outstretched hands. Wilson tacked on a couple of short gains before snagging a 17-yard pass on the Cardinals’ ninth drive, and he nearly bagged a 47-yard touchdown down the left sideline on the 10th drive, but his coverage defender effectively contested it, resulting in an incompletion. Wilson should handle a WR2-level workload against the Rams in Week 6.

Wilson is now up to a staggering 30 targets over the past two weeks after that number was “just” 14 across Weeks 1 and 2. He is managing to drew more looks than one of the biggest target sponges in the league Trey McBride, though the seam man still has 23 targets the past two weeks. Wilson and McBride have turned this offense into a two-man affair, with No. 3 Marvin Harrison Jr. now a distant role player. That’s all good and well in fantasy for the time being, but Jacoby Brissett has quietly been amongst the most ineffective QBs in the league. The rebuilding Birds may decide to get a look at Carson Beck sooner rather than later. Either way, that won’t be before next week’s potential shootout with the Lions. Wilson is now a weekly WR3 pushing for top-24 status.

Wilson saw season-highs across the board as the Cardinals played catch-up against the 49ers for much of the day. He operated as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver, seeing over three times the opportunities as Marvin Harrison Jr. Catching much of the outside passes and intermediate crossers for the day, Wilson scored on a five-yard Jacoby Brissett pass in the third quarter. It’s clear he is Brissett’s top target in the offense, especially when the team is playing from behind. Wilson ranks as a high-end fantasy WR3 heading into Week 4 against the Giants.

Wilson had a brutal day. The Seahawks prevented two receptions by committing defensive pass interference, and QB Jacoby Brissett prevented at least two more with a pair of overthrows. One led to an interception. The other led to a dropped interception. Wilson remains WR3/FLEX-viable against the 49ers in Week 3, coming off consecutive seven-target games. He is stuck in a tough situation, but the opportunities to score fantasy points should be there next week. Not every defense is as well-designed and talented as Seattle’s.

Wilson nearly came down with a couple deep shots from Jacoby Brissett. He was clearly favored — as he was last season — over Marvin Harrison, Jr., who ended the game with just one grab for 33 yards. Wilson, who signed a huge contract extension with the Cards before the season opener, has a good shot of operating as Arizona’s No. 1 wideout this season. Brissett’s willingness to go downfield even against tight coverage will give Wilson weekly chances to emerge as a matchup-tilting wideout in fantasy football. Wilson will be a WR3 play in Week 2 against a tough Seattle secondary.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal includes $47 million in guarantees, with a max value of $78 million. Wilson was set to enter a contract season in a week. Instead, he’ll be under contract with Arizona through the 2029 season. He broke out in the second half of the 2025 season and finished the year with his first 1,000-yard campaign. He compiled 775 of those yards in the final eight games of the year. Even if he can’t replicate those numbers over 17 weeks, Wilson took a massive step forward, and receivers aren’t cheap on the open market. It makes sense for Arizona to lock him up long-term instead of letting him test the waters of free agency next offseason.

Weinfuss adds that “something could come down in the next day or so.” Wilson has been in line for an extension this offseason and despite an effort, the Cardinals have yet to reach an agreement. It seems the sides are at least making progress, with Weinfuss hearing about “movement” in negotiations. Wilson was the team’s No. 1 wide receiver and downfield target for Jacoby Brissett after Kyler Murray went to the bench last season. An extension for the 26-year-old may be coming prior to Week 1.

Wilson emerged as the team’s clear No. 1 receiver in 2025 once Kyler Murray was benched in favor of Jacoby Brissett, who has the arm strength to get the ball downfield to Wilson. Wilson was 18th among all wideouts in receiving yards and tenth in air yards last year. Fowler said “the likeliest path for Wilson is to enter Week 1 on the final year of his rookie deal. Perhaps the team finds a way to get a deal done, but sources indicate he’s likely to be a key free agent.” Wilson, 26, could make Alec Pierce money in 2027 if the Cardinals don’t re-sign him in the coming months.