New York Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson is staying away from the team's offseason workouts as he attempts to get the Jets and owner Woody Johnson to pony up the dough on a big new deal.
If Johnson's recent comments while arriving at the NFL spring owners meetings in San Francisco are any indication, the All-Pro defensive tackle may be waiting for quite a while.
"We're continuing to have dialogue sporadically, but it's got to be something that works for both sides," Johnson said, per Bart Hubbuch of The New York Post. "If something works out that's agreeable to both sides, it'll get done. If not, ..."
The 25-year-old Wilkerson is currently slated to make $6.97 million in 2015 after the team picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract.
Wilkerson is seeking the security of a long-term deal, but talks have not been fruitful to this point and speculation that he could be traded has been fueled further by the Jets drafting of USC defensive tackle Leonard Williams at No. 6 in the first-round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
New Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan suggested after the draft that the selection of Williams would have little to no bearing on Wilkerson's future.
"It's a good situation," Maccagnan said on ESPN Radio in New York, via Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk. "My thing is this: It's kind of up to Todd [Bowles] to best utilize his resources at that position. Going forward, it doesn't really impact Mo directly in that sense."
Still, rumors have continued to swirl that Wilkerson could be traded, especially after head coach Todd Bowles offered a noncommittal response prior to the draft about Mo's future with Gang Green.
"Mo is on our team now," Bowles said, per Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk. "That's all I can go by."
While it's still highly unlikely that Wilkerson gets dealt this offseason, with Williams and former first-round pick Sheldon Richardson in the fold, the Jets have three big, talented bodies for two starting tackle spots.
That kind of depth is enviable and New York is certainly dealing from a position of power. There's almost no chance Wilkerson would hold out all season and risk losing money along with a year of NFL experience.
Wilkerson though, will get paid at some point, whether it's by the Jets or another NFL team and there's no doubting that New York could amass a significant haul of picks or players via a trade for a guy who finished last season with 55 tackles, 5.5 sacks, one forced fumble and five passes defensed and is still just 25 years old.
