Entering the 2015 NFL season, New York Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson was adamant that he deserved a lucrative contract extension. And really, there wasn't much the new-look Jets decision-makers, head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Mike Maccagnan, could say. Wilkerson though, played out the year on the $6.96 million, fifth-year contract option of his rookie pact.
Since being selected late in the first round in 2011, Wilkerson has become one of the league's most versatile, impactful defensive linemen. While the Jets obviously think highly of the multi-talented defender - Wilkerson plays everywhere in the Gang Green front and has collected an impressive 21 passes defensed to go along with his 300 career tackles and 36.0 career sacks - Maccagnan seemed reticent to hand Wilkerson the kind of deal that would bump his pay to a rate that was more in line with the market value for his production, a contract that would likely be in the $40 million guaranteed range.
But with the news Monday that the Jets will or already have slapped Wilkerson with the franchise tag, they're making it clear that they won't be giving up Wilkerson's rights, even if they can't yet come to terms on that big contract extension he's been seeking. Wilkerson, a former first-round pick out of Temple, is now set to play out 2016 on a one-year, $15.7 million deal. That's not exactly chump change but it also doesn't provide the financial security that Wilkerson wants.
Considering the fact that the mammoth defender could have created much more of a stir last season as he sought an upgrade to his deal - Wilkerson didn't hold out of either Jets' minicamp or training camp - and that he put together a 64-tackle, 12.0-sack, 2-forced fumble campaign in 2015, there's every reason for the Jets to lock him up long term.
But here's where things get tricky. In a capped world, even a capped world where the ceiling will jump to $155.27 million, up $12 million from 2015, there's only so much space to go around. If Wilkerson is seeking a deal that pays him about $40-plus million guaranteed, it creates a serious dilemma for Maccagnan. The team already has the uber-talented, if slightly troubled Sheldon Richardson in place, and they expended their first selection in the 2015 NFL Draft on Leonard Williams out of USC.
With Richardson needing a new deal of his own in the not-too-distant future and Williams having played well during his rookie year, the Jets suddenly have a logjam of talent on the defensive line. It's a good problem to have, no doubt, and there's every possibility Maccagnan can find a way to pay Wilkerson and Richardson as he and Bowles do their best to build on the momentum of 2015.
But it's going to be tough, especially with players like Ryan Fitzpatrick, Chris Ivory, Calvin Pace and Damon Harrison also in need of new deals this offseason.
At this point there's no denying Wilkerson's talents - only his long-term fit in New York, even after the tag.
