Marquess Willis Wilson (born September 14, 1992) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
wide receiver. He was drafted by the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
in the seventh round in the
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
for
Washington State University
Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant unive ...
.
College career
Wilson played wide receiver at
Washington State
Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...
from 2010 to 2012 where he set the school's all-time receiving yardage record. As a freshman in 2010, he caught 55 passes for 1,001 yards, the third highest total in the
Pacific-10 Conference
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division ...
behind
Juron Criner
Juron Criner (born December 12, 1989) is a former American football wide receiver. Born in Las Vegas, Nevada, Criner attended Canyon Springs High School and played college football at the University of Arizona. He played for the Oakland Raiders ...
and
Jeff Maehl.
In July 2011, he was named to the 2011
Fred Biletnikoff Award
The Fred Biletnikoff Award is presented annually to the most outstanding receiver in American college football by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc. (TQCF), an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The award was creat ...
preseason watch list. On October 1, 2011, he caught a 63-yard touchdown pass with 1:10 left in the game to give
Washington State
Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...
a 31-27 win over
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
.
Through the first 11 games of the 2011 season, Wilson had 1,280 receiving yards and 10 touchdown receptions. As of November 20, 2011, Wilson's 1,280 receiving yards during the 2011 season ranked first in the
Pac-12 Conference
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...
and fourth among all
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...
FBS players.
In 2012, Wilson led the team with 52 catches for 813 yards and five touchdowns, but was suspended for one game after reportedly leaving a practice. Wilson later left the team after citing abuse by head coach
Mike Leach and his staff, but he later recanted his allegations.
Professional career
2013 NFL Draft
Wilson was drafted by the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
in the seventh round (236th overall) of the
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
.
Chicago Bears
On May 2, 2013, Wilson signed a four-year contract with the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
. Wilson recorded his first catch on October 20, 2013 against the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
.
On December 29, 2013, Wilson had his first start in the final game of the 2013 season versus the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
.
During training camp on August 4, 2014, Wilson suffered a broken
clavicle
The clavicle, or collarbone, is a slender, S-shaped long bone approximately 6 inches (15 cm) long that serves as a strut between the shoulder blade and the sternum (breastbone). There are two clavicles, one on the left and one on the rig ...
. He would be placed on injured reserve/recall on September 2, 2014. On November 14, 2014, he was activated from injured reserve.
On December 15, 2014, Wilson caught his first career touchdown in Week 14 against the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
.
On December 21, 2014, Wilson caught a career-high 7 receptions for a career-high 66 yards against the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
. At just 22 years old, Wilson was the third youngest player on the Bears final 2014 53-man roster behind
cornerback
A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...
Al Louis-Jean
Albert Louis-Jean, Jr. (born October 13, 1993) is an American football cornerback for the Massachusetts Pirates of the National Arena League. He played college football at Boston College. He has been a member of the Chicago Bears, Washington R ...
and
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...
Ka’Deem Carey.
On September 13, 2015, Wilson caught a career-long 50 yard pass against the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
.
On November 22, 2015, Wilson caught a career-high 102 yards against the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
.
On December 12, 2015, he was placed on injured reserve. On December 14, 2015, Wilson underwent surgery on his broken foot.
Wilson broke his foot again the following offseason in June and opened the 2016 season on the
PUP list. He was activated to the active roster on November 15, 2016 prior to Week 11. He was placed on injured reserve on December 17, 2016 after fracturing his foot for a third time.
New York Jets
On June 20, 2017, Wilson signed with the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
. He was released on August 23, 2017.
Philadelphia Eagles
On January 2, 2018, Wilson signed a futures contract with the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
. He was released on July 24, 2018.
BC Lions
On January 29, 2019, Wilson signed with the
BC Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place.
The Lions played their first season ...
of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
.
On May 18, 2019, he was cut after rookie camp (before main training camp).
References
External links
Washington State Cougars bioChicago Bears bioNew York Jets bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Marquess
1992 births
Living people
People from Tulare, California
American football wide receivers
Players of American football from California
Sportspeople from Tulare County, California
Washington State Cougars football players
Chicago Bears players
New York Jets players
Philadelphia Eagles players