Muhammad Wilkerson ~ ~ ~

[Mike135]

9 minutes ago, RutgersJetFan said:

Now Eurotrip, that's a great movie.  Maybe not as good as Dances w/Wolves or Bull Durham, but definitely better than Waterworld and Postman.

[kelly]

Barring the unexpected, Muhammad Wilkerson still will be a member of theNew York Jets when the NFL draft concludes Saturday afternoon.

It's draft-day eve, and Wilkerson has no serious suitors, a league source said Wednesday. The Jets have fielded a few calls, the NFL Network reported, but no trade is imminent. It'll be difficult to make a deal on the clock because of the complexities of dealing a player with the franchise tag, so it looks like Wilkerson will be sticking around.

The idea is to keep good players in the building, and Wilkerson is one of the best players on the team. If no trade happens, it shouldn't be seen as a failure for the Jets. What could be bad about retaining a 26-year-old defensive end coming off a Pro Bowl season?Lost amid the rampant speculation is this simple dynamic: It takes two teams to make a trade. Yes, the Jets are open to trading Wilkerson, but they can't will it to happen. Executing a tag-and-trade is a challenge, and they've known that from the outset. While they're intrigued by the prospect of parlaying their best bargaining chip into a high draft pick, they know it's not realistic.Not only do the Jets have to find a team willing to compensate them, but it has to be a team with deep pockets, one with enough cap room to meet Wilkerson's asking price on a long-term contract -- figure at least $50 million in guarantees. There's also his health. Even though his rehab from a broken leg is progressing nicely, based on his strategically planned updates on social media, Wilkerson would have to pass a physical before a trade is finalized.

Whether it's a conscious decision or not -- probably not -- keeping Wilkerson is the right play. Unless they score a first-round pick that allows them to draft a franchise-caliber quarterback -- no longer a possibility this year -- it's better to have him than not. Trading him for, say, a second-round pick makes little sense, considering it's only slightly better than the third-round compensatory pick they could receive down the road. That would be a fire sale.Obviously, Wilkerson can't be thrilled, and his frustration is understandable. He wants -- and deserves -- a new contract, but it looks like he'll play for the $15.7 million franchise tender. The two sides have until mid-July to negotiate a long-term deal, but it appears unlikely.If Wilkerson isn't traded, the question becomes: Will he make a stink and become a distraction? Once again, he's skipping the offseason program, but that's small potatoes. The louder statement would be boycotting mandatory events such as the June minicamp and training camp.

Even though he apparently is sticking around, this story is far from over.

>     http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/60013/muhammad-wilkerson-trade-unlikely-good-for-jets-bad-for-him

[prime21]

12 minutes ago, kelly said:

 

The idea is to keep good players in the building, and Wilkerson is one of the best players on the team. If no trade happens, it shouldn't be seen as a failure for the Jets. What could be bad about retaining a 26-year-old defensive end coming off a Pro Bowl season?

What could be bad is that although we have the roster to be a competitive team in 2016, we don't look like we are capable of winning a Super Bowl.  Wilkerson being here and walking away does nothing to help this franchise going forward other than perhaps helping Leonard Williams develop.    Mo is a first round trade kind of guy but if we have to settle on a #2 then lets do it.  At least we can hope to hit a home run in the 2nd round as opposed to a certain strike out at the end of this season. 

[kelly]

 -- The New York Jets are not planning to trade Pro Bowl defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson."I don't envision that happening," general manager Mike Maccagnan said late Thursday night after picking linebacker Darron Lee in the first round of the NFL draft.

Up until a week ago, Maccagnan was non-committal on whether he was trying to deal Wilkerson, who has the franchise tag. In reality, the Jets, unable to reach a long-term contract, have been open to trading him, source said.But as the draft drew closer, it became increasingly apparent that no deal would happen. It's not easy to execute a tag-and-trade because the player has to sign his tender and agree to a long-term deal with the new team. There's also the matter of compensation between the two teams.

"It's a little more complicated" than a routine trade, Maccagnan said. The Jets reportedly fielded calls in recent weeks, but no serious suitors have emerged, sources said.Wilkerson, 26, rehabbing a surgically repaired broken leg, is skipping voluntary workouts for the second straight offseason. It remains to be seen whether he shows up for the mandatory minicamp in June.

If the two sides can't agree to a new contract by July 15, Wilkerson will play in 2016 for the amount of his franchise tender, $15.7 million. He's thought to be seeking a deal that would pay him at least $50 million in guarantees.

>     http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/15424772/new-york-jets-see-trade-muhammad-wilkerson-happening

[Rangers9]

Well he's going to have to do a lot of manipulations with the cap then. Or sign him to a deal that is back loaded and gives them some relief in 2016. No one wants to take on a long term deal or pay 16 mil next year for a guy who broke his leg in the last game of the season. Mac would probably jump on a 2nd round pick just to get rid of that pay day to Wilk this season. The key killer on this is the Revis contract.

[jett]

We need to trade this guy, we are In a corner right now and teams know it. His hit is so high and we have no quarterback. I don't know what Mac has on his mind but we should be desperately trying to move this guy. It doesn't make a lot of sense keeping him for the season with no qb in place. If we somehow sign Fitz then Im ok with it. 

[bostonmajet]

The fallacy of this article is equating a 2nd round pick this year to a 3rd (2 years from now if we keep Mo this year). In reality a 2018 bottom of 3rd is really worth like a 5th this year; not to mention the 15.7 million that we could spend on extending and signing other players.

[Integrity28]

16 minutes ago, bostonmajet said:

The fallacy of this article is equating a 2nd round pick this year to a 3rd (2 years from now if we keep Mo this year). In reality a 2018 bottom of 3rd is really worth like a 5th this year; not to mention the 15.7 million that we could spend on extending and signing other players.

Isn't the rule of thumb usually a 2nd rounder this year is = a 1st rounder next year?

[bostonmajet]

1 hour ago, Integrity28 said:

Isn't the rule of thumb usually a 2nd rounder this year is = a 1st rounder next year?

I think so, so a 3rd this year, would need to be a 2nd next year, and a 1st the following year; so, using that approach, a 3rd 3 years from now is only worth a 5th this year (4th next year). So, holding Mo this year (for 15.7M) for a conditional 2018 is like getting a 5th this year. So, if we get a 2nd or 3rd this year, or (after the draft) a 2nd next year, it is way better than a 3rd 2 years from now.

Another way to look at it, is that pulling the tag would give us a 3rd next year (so it is better) from purely a draft pick - not suggesting we pull the pick, just paying MO 15.7 to get a 3rd 2 years down the line doesn't make sense from purely a draft pick situation.

[JetPotato]

He'll be traded. In October.

[kelly]

Resetting the NFL trade market: Player movement not done yet

 

The NFL draft seemed ripe for a number of notable veteran players to move on to greener pastures.With key quarterbacks & disgruntled franchise players alike on the market for the past several months, it should have been a weekend where stars were swapped alongside draft picks.If your definition of a notable veteran player is Jamar Taylor, well, you got what you were looking for. The disappointing fourth-year cornerback was part of the draft's final trade, as he was sent to Cleveland so the Dolphins could trade up to the 223rd selection. Taylor, ironically, was once drafted by Miami with a second-round pick they acquired from the Colts in exchange for Vontae Davis, who was a frustrated veteran approaching the end of his rookie deal at the time.

OK, so as it turns out, just about every one of the big-name players who were in line for a possible draft-day trade stayed put. That's disappointing. It's also foolish to think that the end of the draft also will bring an end to the trade rumors. The market may have changed as teams filled some of their needs, but there are still cranky players around the league who would be better off in new locales. Somebody like Evan Mathis, who was cut by the Eagles last June before eventually signing with the Broncos, would be a classic example of how there's still player movement to come around the league.Now that the furor of the draft is over, let's hit reset on the trade market and the precious few valuable players left in free agency. One of those players signed immediately after the draft, as Brian Hoyer took a one-year deal to back up Jay Cutler in Chicago. Which players still have options left? Where might they head? And which of the players interested in a move might be stuck in their current locale for another year? Let's run around the league, starting in Philadelphia, where all the factors for one move seem to be in place except for a crucial element ...

 

~ ~    

Muhammad Wilkerson, DE, Jets

As much sense as a Wilkerson-for-Kaepernick trade made with the Jets and 49ers swapping first-round picks, it didn't come to fruition, and San Francisco GM Trent Baalke promptly used his first-round pick on a 5-technique end in Oregon's DeForest Buckner. The 49ers have plenty of needs, but defensive end is no longer one of them. The Jets weren't able to find a trade partner for their star defender, and now, if they want draft picks as compensation, those picks won't be showing up until 2017 at the earliest. That's not ideal for a team as veteran-heavy as the Jets.The Jets can barely afford to pay Wilkerson the franchise tag of $15.7 million this year, and they will be even less enthused about paying him $18.8 million if they try to franchise him again in 2017. That basically seems to suggest that they're better off trading him now as opposed to losing him for a lesser compensatory pick. The Jets probably aren't getting a first-round pick for Wilkerson, but would they settle for a second-rounder at this point?

If so, there could be a market. The Bears still have a need at defensive end and plenty of cap space to burn, although GM Ryan Pace has been shockingly conservative and efficient with his assets given that he came from New Orleans. The Saints themselves could extend Drew Brees and use the cap space to trade for Wilkerson, although they're already down a fifth-round pick in 2017 after trading up this year. The Colts have $18.8 million in cap space and need to lock up Andrew Luck, but they could structure the deals in a way to fit both Luck and Wilkerson under their cap in 2016. Even the Bucs would make sense. The idea that Wilkerson will fetch the Jets a first-rounder, though, still seems unlikely.

rest of above article  : 

>    http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/15451181/resetting-nfl-trade-market-sam-bradford-philadelphia-eagles-colin-kaepernick-san-francisco-49ers-likely-staying-put

[kelly]

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  Rich CiminiESPN Staff Writer

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Post-draft free agency is underway, so let's update the New York Jets' list of free agents :

Muhammad Wilkerson, defensive end : Based on the franchise-tag rules, he's allowed to speak to other teams until July 15. No team will sign him to an offer sheet and a sign-and-trade is highly unlikely, meaning he'll be back with the Jets. If they fail to negotiate a long-term agreement by then -- the likely outcome -- he'll play the season for his franchise tender ($15.7 million). The question is, will he stage a training-camp holdout ?

rest of above article  : 

> http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/60315/tracking-ryan-fitzpatrick-mo-wilkerson-and-jets-other-free-agents

[Il Mostro]

36 minutes ago, kelly said:

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  Rich CiminiESPN Staff Writer

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Post-draft free agency is underway, so let's update the New York Jets' list of free agents :

Muhammad Wilkerson, defensive end : Based on the franchise-tag rules, he's allowed to speak to other teams until July 15. No team will sign him to an offer sheet and a sign-and-trade is highly unlikely, meaning he'll be back with the Jets. If they fail to negotiate a long-term agreement by then -- the likely outcome -- he'll play the season for his franchise tender ($15.7 million). The question is, will he stage a training-camp holdout ?

rest of above article  : 

> http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/60315/tracking-ryan-fitzpatrick-mo-wilkerson-and-jets-other-free-agents

If there is no FA market for him at his asking price, and the Jets are paying him a boatload of $$$ in 2016, what is there to hold out about?  He couldn't reach an agreement with the Jets; couldn't find any other takers; and is getting paid top dollar so he has nothing to bitch about.  His act has worn very thin with me. 

I wonder if there is anything sketchy about his leg rehab that has not come to light...

[Raideraholic]

3 hours ago, Il Mostro said:

If there is no FA market for him at his asking price, and the Jets are paying him a boatload of $$$ in 2016, what is there to hold out about?  He couldn't reach an agreement with the Jets; couldn't find any other takers; and is getting paid top dollar so he has nothing to bitch about.  His act has worn very thin with me. 

I wonder if there is anything sketchy about his leg rehab that has not come to light...

The reason franchise players usually hold out is because there salary is only guaranteed for one year.   Why risk getting injury in training camp , and costing yourself millions in Fa next year.( that longterm contract). 

Don't worry Muhammad Wilkerson will be back a week before the season starts.    The risk of injury much greater when a player misses that much time.

[bostonmajet]

4 hours ago, Il Mostro said:

If there is no FA market for him at his asking price, and the Jets are paying him a boatload of $$$ in 2016, what is there to hold out about?  He couldn't reach an agreement with the Jets; couldn't find any other takers; and is getting paid top dollar so he has nothing to bitch about.  His act has worn very thin with me. 

I wonder if there is anything sketchy about his leg rehab that has not come to light...

Not sure what act is wearing thin; he has been waiting for his pay day for 2 years now. When the Jets tagged him, you didn't hear him whining in the press. Heck, last year, it was all the press wanted to talk about with him and he didn't say anything.

He hasn't signed his tag yet; why should she show up and risk getting hurt and having the jets pull the tag? These are voluntary after all. In fact, getting hurt playing (not holding out) last year probably cost him some $$ this year. But, yeah, he should just play.

Also, I haven't heard him say he was going to hold out, only the reporters are 'guessing' he will hold out. He has not said anything.

The guy played hard; never complained, and now wants a long term contract with security after breaking his leg and now he is Mevis? It is not like he signed a 6 year deal and then held out 3 years later. He is also playing on his rookie contract where he has almost no leverage. He has been tagged which also he has little choice of. I am not sure many posters would be okay with their companies treating them that way. Just because he is making millions, doesn't mean he shouldn't want what he can get on the market.

As for the Jets, I don't think they are vililans here, but be fair the are only paying him a boatload of $$$ in 2016 because that is what the tag is; it is not like they said 'hey we love you so take 15.7 million'. I don't think anyone here thinks that if he hit the open market (or signed a long term deal with the Jets) that he wouldn't get a signing bonus bigger than that.

[Il Mostro]

5 hours ago, bostonmajet said:

Not sure what act is wearing thin; he has been waiting for his pay day for 2 years now. When the Jets tagged him, you didn't hear him whining in the press. Heck, last year, it was all the press wanted to talk about with him and he didn't say anything.

He hasn't signed his tag yet; why should she show up and risk getting hurt and having the jets pull the tag? These are voluntary after all. In fact, getting hurt playing (not holding out) last year probably cost him some $$ this year. But, yeah, he should just play.

Also, I haven't heard him say he was going to hold out, only the reporters are 'guessing' he will hold out. He has not said anything.

The guy played hard; never complained, and now wants a long term contract with security after breaking his leg and now he is Mevis? It is not like he signed a 6 year deal and then held out 3 years later. He is also playing on his rookie contract where he has almost no leverage. He has been tagged which also he has little choice of. I am not sure many posters would be okay with their companies treating them that way. Just because he is making millions, doesn't mean he shouldn't want what he can get on the market.

As for the Jets, I don't think they are vililans here, but be fair the are only paying him a boatload of $$$ in 2016 because that is what the tag is; it is not like they said 'hey we love you so take 15.7 million'. I don't think anyone here thinks that if he hit the open market (or signed a long term deal with the Jets) that he wouldn't get a signing bonus bigger than that.

The guy is under contract and has chirped about a new deal through his agent for the past three years.  According to all credible reports, the Jets have attempted to reach a long term agreement with him, but to no avail.  It certainly appears that Mo values himself at a higher salary than the Jets and the rest of the league does, for that matter, based on what has transpired thus far.  I do not begrudge him passing on voluntaries -- I get that and the whole risk factor.  But "holding out", if it actually happens, is baseless BS.  Who cares why the Jets are paying him 15.7MM in 2016?  He is getting paid nonetheless.   The problem lies strictly with Mo's camp and their grasp on economic reality.   

[Sperm Edwards]

19 minutes ago, Il Mostro said:

The guy is under contract and has chirped about a new deal through his agent for the past three years.  According to all credible reports, the Jets have attempted to reach a long term agreement with him, but to no avail.  It certainly appears that Mo values himself at a higher salary than the Jets and the rest of the league does, for that matter, based on what has transpired thus far.  I do not begrudge him passing on voluntaries -- I get that and the whole risk factor.  But "holding out", if it actually happens, is baseless BS.  Who cares why the Jets are paying him 15.7MM in 2016?  He is getting paid nonetheless.   The problem lies strictly with Mo's camp and their grasp on economic reality.   

No this is not accurate. His contract demands are merely higher than the Jets have been willing to pay, nothing more. The Jets don't have to pay or pass up on a 1st round pick (because nobody offered us one). For the Jets, it's just money. 

Anyone else in the league would have to cough up the Jets' demand of a 1st round pick minimum, for the privilege of signing him to a gargantuan deal. But absent that minimum 1st round pick ransom they'd have to pay to the Jets, Mo likely would have been scooped up in March in about 10 minutes.

We didn't pay his asking price, and we didn't trade him to someone who would have paid it, so it's not an illegitimate gripe. He's now being guaranteed less money because he's been such a good player. If he was a slightly worse player, he wouldn't have been tagged, and would have already received a contract with some 2-3x that $15.7m in guarantees. If he gets injured permanently this year, he gets $15.7m and that's it for him forever. If the same happened to Malik Jackson - who has started 24 games to Mo's 75, with noticeably less production - he gets $42m.

He dodged a bullet in January with a mere broken leg, and it surely reminded him that he's been dodging bullets for the past 2 years. If he doesn't want to dodge permanent-injury bullets for the 3rd consecutive season I can't say I'd blame him if he holds out until week 10.

[bostonmajet]

8 hours ago, Il Mostro said:

The guy is under contract and has chirped about a new deal through his agent for the past three years.  According to all credible reports, the Jets have attempted to reach a long term agreement with him, but to no avail.  It certainly appears that Mo values himself at a higher salary than the Jets and the rest of the league does, for that matter, based on what has transpired thus far.  I do not begrudge him passing on voluntaries -- I get that and the whole risk factor.  But "holding out", if it actually happens, is baseless BS.  Who cares why the Jets are paying him 15.7MM in 2016?  He is getting paid nonetheless.   The problem lies strictly with Mo's camp and their grasp on economic reality.   

I don't know if I would say 'chriped'; I heard more from reporters and from Sheldon on Mo's contract.

Just because he overvalues himself, doesn't make him a jerk; Also, since he hasn't publicly complained, I don't even know what he wants (and what the Jets have offered); it is all unnamed sources and rumors. It could be he values himself according to the market, but the Jets don't want to pay that much; or, maybe he is really unhappy with the past 3 GMs and is being unreasonable. Who knows; my comments were more about the 'act wearing thin'; publicly his act has been okay IMO.

I am tired of waiting for a resolution on this (and Fitz), but neither the Jets nor the players and agents are going to rush just to make us happy about this. I get the frustration, but not sure why people think he should just roll over and take what the Jets are offering (or visa-versa). My guess it is more the failures of the past few years have moved this situation to a more difficult one - probably some bad blood.

Maybe the Jets should just pay him under the table by hiring Mo's company for some extra work

 

[Il Mostro]

8 hours ago, Sperm Edwards said:

No this is not accurate. His contract demands are merely higher than the Jets have been willing to pay, nothing more. The Jets don't have to pay or pass up on a 1st round pick (because nobody offered us one). For the Jets, it's just money. 

Anyone else in the league would have to cough up the Jets' demand of a 1st round pick minimum, for the privilege of signing him to a gargantuan deal. But absent that minimum 1st round pick ransom they'd have to pay to the Jets, Mo likely would have been scooped up in March in about 10 minutes.

We didn't pay his asking price, and we didn't trade him to someone who would have paid it, so it's not an illegitimate gripe. He's now being guaranteed less money because he's been such a good player. If he was a slightly worse player, he wouldn't have been tagged, and would have already received a contract with some 2-3x that $15.7m in guarantees. If he gets injured permanently this year, he gets $15.7m and that's it for him forever. If the same happened to Malik Jackson - who has started 24 games to Mo's 75, with noticeably less production - he gets $42m.

He dodged a bullet in January with a mere broken leg, and it surely reminded him that he's been dodging bullets for the past 2 years. If he doesn't want to dodge permanent-injury bullets for the 3rd consecutive season I can't say I'd blame him if he holds out until week 10.

Yeah, I get the effect of tagging him on his net price (including a pick) to the rest of the league vs. the Jets.  But shopping himself at a price/terms palatable to other teams certain can be a precursor to a trade for something other than a first round pick.  His contract demands have to be part of the roadblock in getting a trade done.

[SenorGato]

Nothing brings out the herp in the foozeball fan like one of these boys in the middle of a contract negotiation. Alllllll that chirping Wilkerson and his agents have been doing lol...Sperm, was nobody offering a first similar in truth to how they were [desperately] seeking him to dump him on someone to land Tunsil?

[spawn0978]

25 minutes ago, Il Mostro said:

Yeah, I get the effect of tagging him on his net price (including a pick) to the rest of the league vs. the Jets.  But shopping himself at a price/terms palatable to other teams certain can be a precursor to a trade for something other than a first round pick.  His contract demands have to be part of the roadblock in getting a trade done.

he's not in any rush, he's going to get paid at least his 1 yr tag deal.  If you were wilkerson and saw vernon get 52 mill in guaranteed money from the giants what would your asking price be?  vernon and wilkerson are different due to their schemes but after seeing him land 52 mill guaranteed the thinking is going to be that he can land something similar or even higher.

 

The worst kept secret in the nfl is that the jets dont have money currently to sign fitzpatrick.  In order to sign fitzpatrick, either they have to cut or extend mangold, marshall etc...or rescind the tag from wilkerson and free up that 15 mill hit.

[Sperm Edwards]

28 minutes ago, SenorGato said:

Nothing brings out the herp in the foozeball fan like one of these boys in the middle of a contract negotiation. Alllllll that chirping Wilkerson and his agents have been doing lol...Sperm, was nobody offering a first similar in truth to how they were [desperately] seeking him to dump him on someone to land Tunsil?

Read this 3x and still don't understand the question.

[SenorGato]

2 minutes ago, Sperm Edwards said:

Read this 3x and still don't understand the question.

I just re-read it and completely understand your POV on this. That is garbage.

I'll rephrase....Are you as privy to the offers they got for Wilkerson as you were to the offers Los Yets made to move up for Tunsil?

[Savage69]

13 minutes ago, spawn0978 said:

he's not in any rush, he's going to get paid at least his 1 yr tag deal.  If you were wilkerson and saw vernon get 52 mill in guaranteed money from the giants what would your asking price be?  vernon and wilkerson are different due to their schemes but after seeing him land 52 mill guaranteed the thinking is going to be that he can land something similar or even higher.

 

The worst kept secret in the nfl is that the jets dont have money currently to sign fitzpatrick.  In order to sign fitzpatrick, either they have to cut or extend mangold, marshall etc...or rescind the tag from wilkerson and free up that 15 mill hit.

Before the Vernon deal ever happened Mo wanted big money plus Vernon was signed without any compensation to Miami that's a huge difference..

[spawn0978]

exactly, there's no reason to think why mo should not get a big deal...the jets gambled and hoped some team would trade for him but that clearly didn't happen...now the jets are in a bind with no starting qb on the roster.  teams will continue to wait it out because noone really belives the jets are going to go into camp with just geno, petty and hackensburg as the qb's.  

[EM31]

I blame Beningo and Roberts for all of this and I am only MOSTLY kidding

[Sperm Edwards]

Just now, SenorGato said:

I just re-read it and completely understand your POV on this.

I'll rephrase....Are you as privy to the offers they got for Wilkerson as you were to the offers they made to move up for Tunsil?

It's my fault, not yours. I left my Gato-to-English dictionary home. Again, my bad. Now to answer your question:

IIRC, they claimed/leaked that they offered their 2nd rounder to move up but it was rejected. I don't think Mo was offered in the trade-up for Tunsil.

Are you still in denial that the Jets tried to trade Mo?

[SenorGato]

36 minutes ago, Sperm Edwards said:

It's my fault, not yours. I left my Gato-to-English dictionary home. Again, my bad. Now to answer your question:

IIRC, they claimed/leaked that they offered their 2nd rounder to move up but it was rejected. I don't think Mo was offered in the trade-up for Tunsil.

Are you still in denial that the Jets tried to trade Mo?

Well, not anymore anyway.

I'm in no less denial about the Jets' trying to trade Wilkerson as you are about their desperation/need to do so. Or any number of your claims on this whole situation really....

 

[kelly]

Many of the offseason headlines have focused on the New York Jets' phantom quarterback -- Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is unsigned and out of sight, but not out of mind. His ongoing contract saga has overshadowed another absent teammate, Muhammad Wilkerson, who may not show up for a few months.

The Pro Bowl defensive end hasn't signed his franchise-tag tender, meaning he's technically a free agent until July 15 -- unless he decides to sign the tender and rejoin his teammates before then. Why would he do that? He'd hurt his leverage for a long-term contract by signing and reporting to the team. What's more, he's still not able to participate in football activities, as he continues to rehab his surgically repaired broken leg.

It wouldn't be a surprise if Wilkerson skips next month's minicamp (he can't be fined because he's not under contract), and there are some who believe he may consider not reporting to training camp in late July."I know he wants to be here, because he's from here," said cornerbackBuster Skrine, alluding to Wilkerson's New Jersey roots.

Team officials say they want him back, but that sounds like posturing. The two sides aren't close to a new contract.The Jets were open to trading Wilkerson before the draft, but no suitors emerged. A sign-and-trade simply isn't realistic, considering his contract demands. By rule, he still can sign an offer sheet with another team, but the compensation (two first-round picks) is prohibitive. He could try to force a trade, but he'd probably have to threaten to sit out the season to make that happen. That would be ugly.

Wilkerson's teammates understand the business side of the sport, but they want him back."He's the leader of the D-line," linebacker David Harris said. "Actually, he's one of the leaders of the defense. He's a tremendous talent. He's one of the best D-ends in the league, hands down. I hope he's here."Skrine added: "He's one of our better players on defense, maybe our best player on defense. So we need him back."

>       http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/60410/jets-players-hope-to-see-mo-wilkerson-soon-but-they-shouldnt-count-on-it

[SenorGato]

Team officials say they want him back, but that sounds like posturing.

Not enough body language analysis

[kelly]

The Jets begin organized team activities next week, and for the second consecutive year, defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson is not expected to be there. Wilkerson still seeks the lucrative long-term contract that kept him away from the voluntary portion of the offseason program at this time last year. But his situation is a bit different this time.

Last year, Wilkerson was subject to the final (option) year of his rookie contract. But this year, the Jets haveplaced the franchise tag on him, which would guarantee him a salary of $15.4 million for 2016.But there's a catch: Wilkerson still hasn't signed his franchise tender. Officially, then, he's not under contract. Which is an important distinction.Wilkerson has had to watch as defensive ends like Olivier Vernon and Malik Jackson got big-money deals this offseason. This after other D-ends from Wilkerson's 2011 draft class—J.J. Watt, Robert Quinn, Cameron Jordan—had gotten paid in past years. Yet Wilkerson is entering his sixth season, and he still hasn't had a chance to bargain for what he's worth on the open market.

The Jets tried to trade Wilkerson before the draft, but there were no takers. Tag and trade deals are difficult to pull off because any potential trade partner would have had to work out the expensive terms of a new deal for Wilkerson as part of the trade, and to have done so before the draft. And that, in turn, reduced the possible compensation the Jets could have expected in return.(Wilkerson is also rehabbing a broken leg, and while he ought to be fine for the regular season, he would have been limited at OTAs and minicamp had been sent to a new team.)

Last year, when Wilkerson stayed away from One Jets Drive during the offseason, he only did so for OTAs, which are voluntary. He was well within his rights to work out on his own at that time, and the Jets had no right to discipline him.But this time, Wilkerson could extend his "holdout"—which isn't exactly the right word in this case—through next month's mandatory three-day minicamp, without incurring any discipline.

Why ? As a player under contract last year, Wilkerson was subject to fines for each day of minicamp missed: $12,155 for the first day, $24,300 for the second day, $36,465 for the third day, or a cumulative total of $72,920.Rather than incur those fines, Wilkerson came to minicamp, and to training camp, when his absence would have cost him $30,000 per day, plus one regular-season game check for each preseason game missed.

This year, because he's not under contract, Wilkerson is free to stay away from the facility right through minicamp, without penalty. And while he technically could skip training camp, the franchise rules have a mechanism in place to prevent that: Wilkerson and the Jets are only free to negotiate a multi-year contract until July 15, at which point he would have virtually no choice but to play on a one-year deal at the franchise-tag terms.The Jets and Wilkerson then would be prohibited from negotiating a long-term contract until after the regular season. But by then, the chances of doing a deal would be next to impossible.

If Wilkerson were to play this season on the franchise tag, it's likely he will hit free agency next year, with the Jets receiving a 2018 compensatory draft pick—likely a third-rounder—in return.

>       http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2016/05/why_muhammad_wilkersons_plan_to_skip_jets_otas_is.html#incart_river_index

[Colgateman]

It pisses me off that the jets are so stubborn to not pay the man what he deserves. 

Thats the jets way, go get high priced FAs and let homegrown players leave. I hate this team sometimes 

[JustInFudge]

1 minute ago, Colgateman said:

It pisses me off that the jets are so stubborn to not pay the man what he deserves. 

Thats the jets way, go get high priced FAs and let homegrown players leave. I hate this team sometimes 

The real shame is we're paying a CB who retired last year QB money, taking away an opportunity to pay a guy who's coming into his prime and is going to be balling for years to come.

 

[Colgateman]

3 minutes ago, JiF said:

The real shame is we're paying a CB who retired last year QB money, taking away an opportunity to pay a guy who's coming into his prime and is going to be balling for years to come.

 

Exactly, Revis was not worth bringing back at his price.

all the other elite defensive lineman from Mo's draft class have gotten paid their money, why can't Mo?

the worst part is, are the jets gonna do it again to Calvin Pryor? What about Sheldon or Marcus? This team is the worst when it comes to paying their guys.

[Miss Lonelyhearts]

3 minutes ago, Colgateman said:

Exactly, Revis was not worth bringing back at his price.

Worth what to whom? Woody got a no-fly zone and Maccagnan got job security. The only ones who really give a sh*t about winning are the fans, but fortunately for the stupid-ass team there's something seriously the matter with Kansas.