Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson shrugged off the news that Texans star J.J. Watt received a six-year, $100 million contract extension Monday.
“Of course I’m happy for him, but there’s nothing much I can do about it,” Wilkerson said.
The “it,” of course, is his own contract. Wilkerson continues to wait for general manager John Idzik to reward him with a new contract. It looks like he is going to have to wait until the offseason, because deals like this rarely are done once the regular season starts.
“I’m just patiently waiting like I’ve always been doing,” said Wilkerson, who does not enjoy speaking about his contract situation. “That’s all I can say. There’s not too much I can say or do about the situation.”
Wilkerson is due to earn $1.2 million this season. The Jets exercised their fifth-year option on him for 2015 that would pay him $6.97 million. Those numbers are nowhere close to what Wilkerson could get on the open market.
Watt is considered the top defensive end in football and probably the top defensive player. The $16.6 million average annual salary he received now will be viewed as the ceiling for defensive players. Several people around the league said Wilkerson could command $12 million per year based on what Watt received.
“And that number can only go up,” one league source said.
Wilkerson was named second-team All-Pro last year and is considered by most people to be the best player on the Jets. He has 18.5 career sacks, six forced fumbles, one recovered fumble, one interception and nine passes defended.
Watt and Wilkerson both were taken in the first round of the 2011 draft. Watt went 11th and Wilkerson was selected with the 30th pick. That was the first draft under the new collective bargaining agreement, which limited how much draft picks can be paid early in their careers.
Some people believe Wilkerson should have held out to force the Jets’ hand, but Wilkerson has maintained all along he would not do that to the team. On Tuesday, he said he is not thinking about his bank account.
“I’m worried about Oakland,” Wilkerson said about the regular-season opener with the Raiders on Sunday. “I’m not worried about no contract, to be honest with you.”