TEMPE, Ariz. -- Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson stepped into The Wigwam, the resort west of Phoenix where Arizona holds its training camp, carrying something from last season.
It wasn't tangible, but it was noticeable. The wide receiver arrived Wednesday equipped with a new-found confidence, one forged by reaching the 1,000-receiving-yard threshold for the first time in his career.
"You can't fluke your way to a thousand yards," Wilson told ESPN. "I don't care what anyone says.
You cannot fluke your way to a thousand yards in the NFL. "And, so, I would just say I have slightly more confidence just because I know that I can do it.
It's not just wishful thinking, like I was last year, 'Hey, I think I can,' or 'I'm confident I can.'" In his third season, the former third-round pick out of Stanford finished with 1,006 yards (18th in the NFL) on 78 receptions (19th). He also had seven receiving touchdowns (tied for 15th).
"When you reach a thousand, it puts you in, I don't want to say a different class in the NFL, but it's a prestigious group, and it's hard to get a thousand yards," Wilson said. It's even harder to do it without quarterback stability.
Kyler Murray started the first five weeks, struggled, missed the rest of the season because of an injury and was released in March. Jacoby Brissett , who's on his seventh team, ignited the offense in Murray's place, and in particular Wilson's output, throughout the second half of the season.
Brissett's future is murky as he hopes for a new contract. And it wasn't like Wilson was the Cardinals' top receiver.
Trey McBride continued his ascension as one of the NFL's elite tight ends with a team-leading 1,239 yards, 11 receiving touchdowns and 126 receptions. Marvin Harrison Jr .
also was a prime target, although he played in just 12 games because of injury. But despite less-than-ideal circumstances, Wilson made a statement that should reverberate around the NFL -- as well as fantasy football drafts -- this fall, no matter who lines up at quarterback.
There are many reasons for Wilson's emergence, including his decision to work with his personal trainer, Nicholas Edmond, throughout the season. Edmond also will be joining Wilson at camp.
"Now it's, 'No, I've done it. It's reality.'" Wilson said.
"How can I build upon this and then continue to now turn a 1,000 yards into 1,300 or 1,000 to 1,500, 1,600 or Pro Bowl, All Pro. "What's the limit now?" WILSON STARTED WORKING with Edmond in late January 2025 after Wilson and his wife, soccer star Sophia Wilson, decided to stay in Arizona during the offseason while she was pregnant with their daughter.
Wilson and Edmond hit it off, and a relationship, friendship and synergy blossomed. About a month into working together last year, Edmond knew he needed to keep working with Wilson during the regular season.
"'Listen, this offseason stuff is really good, but I need you in-season,'" Edmond recalled saying. Edmond sent Wilson a four-page document that outlined his training plan with the hows, whats and whys.
Wilson didn't hesitate. "It's more common now than it was when I was playing, for sure," said former NFL wide receiver T.J.
Houshmandzadeh, who works with Wilson during the offseason. "But Mike is smart.
Mike knows that he wants to play football for a long time. In order to do that, you have to spend money to make money.
"I say that to say if I have to go deal with my personal guy once, two, three times a week to keep me healthy and play 17 games, then I'm going to do it." Wilson had two priorities last offseason: stay healthy for the entire season and play faster. The latter was a result of a conversation Wilson had with former Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon during his exit interview after the 2024 season.
Gannon wanted Wilson to play faster and be more explosive. Wilson took it to heart.
During last offseason, Wilson and Edmond worked at least four days a week, and went five days most weeks, for about two to three hours each session on the field and in the weight room. During OTAs, their time together dropped to just one day a week, every Friday, and then back up to every day between OTAs and training camp.
Then, during what was supposed to be a break during training camp last year, the two continued working by happenstance when Edmond booked a staycation at the same resort that the Cardinals were staying at. He noticed a number of people wearing the Cardinals' logo and quickly texted Wilson, and the two fit in workouts together