Muhammad Wilkerson Skips OTA’s

Muhammad Wilkerson (USATSI)

Muhammad Wilkerson, defensive lineman for the New York Jets, skipped the team’s voluntary OTA’s recently in hopes of reaching a long term contract extension with the team. This upcoming season will be his final year under contract with the Jets and he is expected to make $6.96 million.

Wilkerson has really made a name for himself over the last few years with the Jets. His breakout year was the 2013 season where he totaled 10.5 sacks, which tied for 16^th in the NFL. Wilkerson is now regarded as one of the best defensive lineman in the NFL. So the question isn’t whether he deserves a max deal or not. The question is whether the Jets should offer it to him.

The Jets are in an interesting position because they could neglect re-signing him and still be perfectly fine because they have a lot of depth on the defensive line. After Wilkerson, the Jets have another top defensive lineman in Sheldon Richardson and another above average lineman in Damon Harrison. The trio is known as the Sons of Anarchy since all of their last names end with “son”. And on top of those three, the Jets just drafted Leonard Williams, who was the highest ranked defensive lineman in this past draft. Although he doesn’t fit in to the Sons of Anarchy last name motto, he is still going to be an effective NFL player.

So with Harrison, Richardson, and now Williams leading the way on the defensive line, does it really make sense to give Wilkerson a max deal? Probably not. What the Jets should do this year is wait and see what happens with Leonard Williams. If he ends up being the effective NFL player that the Jets expect him to be, then Wilkerson should be traded. The Jets could potentially get a high draft choice and more for trading him.

The Jets defensive line is the least of anyone’s concern right now. There is a lot more work to be done on offense however starting with the quarterback position, but a good quarterback is hard to come by. The offensive line could also use some work. After D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold, the Jets are really lacking an offensive line. Using Muhammad Wilkerson as a trade piece for an offensive player could really help this Jets team.

In regards to Wilkerson skipping OTA’s, I don’t think any Jets fan should be worried. OTA’s are optional and Wilkerson is still working out with a personal trainer. And even if Wilkerson decides to hold out through the team’s summer mini camps, there is no way he is going to miss a single game in the regular season unless of course he is injured. Even if he does skip the summer mini camps, Wilkerson will still be ready to go for the regular season and still be one of top defensive ends in the NFL.