The Mo-ment of truth is fast approaching for the Jets.
If the team is going to trade star defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson, it will happen in the next four weeks. The NFL draft begins on April 28, four weeks from Thursday. Wilkerson could be traded during the draft, but it is more likely that if something were to happen, it would occur in the days leading up to the draft.
Despite general manager Mike Maccagnan saying they are not “actively pursuing” a trade for Wilkerson, a source said Wednesday that the Jets are indeed shopping him around.
There is skepticism around the league as to whether the Jets can find a trade partner who will be willing to surrender the draft picks the Jets are looking for (the starting price surely includes a first-round pick in this year’s draft) and agree to the contract Wilkerson is looking for (more than $50 million guaranteed).
There is a possibility the Jets could try to acquire a player to lessen the draft-pick compensation. With Ryan Fitzpatrick still a free agent, it could make sense for them to target Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon in a deal involving Wilkerson.
It is astonishing that it has gotten to this point where the Jets again are trying to trade one of their best players. Three years after shipping Darrelle Revis to the Buccaneers, here we go again.
Jets owner Woody Johnson said it was “amazing” that the two sides have not been able to make a deal, but the Jets never have shown a true desire to get anything done. Publicly, the Jets have said since Maccagnan arrived last year that they wanted to sign Wilkerson to a long-term deal. Privately, they have offered below-market deals and barely spoken to Wilkerson’s representatives.
Wilkerson, who is recovering from a broken leg, has not said anything publicly about his contract situation this offseason, but he surely is annoyed. Wilkerson has been hoping for a new deal for two years now, but has been turned away by the Jets. They placed the franchise tag on him this year at the price of $15.7 million, so he will be well-compensated in 2016, but the organization has not given him any long-term security.
There are some around the league who believe if the Jets can’t trade Wilkerson, they will use the franchise tag on him again in 2017 for $18.8 million.
The Jets should have gotten something done with Wilkerson last offseason. Many defensive ends from the same 2011 draft class as Wilkerson received new contracts last year and the numbers now look more than reasonable after what happened this March in free agency. Last year, a comfortable landing spot for the Jets and Wilkerson would have been somewhere between what Cam Jordan got from the Saints ($11 million per year, $33 million guaranteed) and what J.J. Watt received from the Texans ($16.6 million per year, $51 million guaranteed).
The Jets had a lot of salary cap space to play with in 2015, too. They could have worked out a five-year, $70 million deal with $42 million guaranteed with Wilkerson that would have been fair for both sides.
For whatever reason, though, the Jets do not seem to want to sign Wilkerson long-term. He has been a productive player, anchoring the defensive line. He has been one of the best defensive linemen against the run and has seasons with 12 sacks (2015) and 10½ (2013). He never has gotten into legal trouble. His only off-field hiccup came last season when he was late for a meeting and was benched against the Giants.
If the Jets were not interested in signing Wilkerson last year, it is hard to imagine them being eager to get a deal done this year after the market has exploded. Watt’s contract is no longer the standard at the position, so people can put to bed the “he’s not J.J. Watt” argument. The Giants gave Olivier Vernon $17 million per year and $52 million guaranteed. Since Vernon entered the league in 2012, he has 29 sacks as compared to Wilkerson’s 33½ over that time.
All of this trade talk must have Wilkerson disenchanted with the Jets. The team’s decision-makers have given only lukewarm endorsements of Wilkerson to reporters, which could be taken as disrespect.
In four weeks, we may know whether Wilkerson is staying or going in 2016.
Free agent LB Bruce Carter visited the Jets on Wednesday, a source confirmed.