Muhammad Wilkerson

East Notes: Rice, Wilkerson, Brady, Cofield

July 28th, 2015 at 1:33pm CST by Luke Adams

Ray Rice and his supporters are reportedly lobbying NFL teams to give the veteran running back a shot to make a roster this preseason, and the Cowboys are the team most often linked to free agent backs, but Dallas has no interest in signing Rice, a source tells Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter links). According to Williams, the Cowboys want to see how their current running backs look — the team hasn’t ruled out adding a veteran, but it likely won’t happen for a couple weeks, if it happens at all.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:

As expected, Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson will report to camp rather than holding out, despite the fact that he has yet to sign a contract extension, reports Brian Costello of the New York Post. According to Costello, the two sides remain “far apart” on a new deal, though I’d expect negotiations to continue in the coming weeks.
Although there have been whispers that an announcement on Tom Brady‘s suspension appeal could come within the next day or two, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says the NFL and NFLPA are still exchanging offers for a potential settlement (link via Kevin Patra of NFL.com). However, with the Patriots quarterback seemingly unwilling to accept a deal that includes any sort of suspension, a compromise remains unlikely. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com echoes Rapoport’s report, tweeting that the NFL and NFLPA aren’t expected to reach a settlement for Brady.
Rapoport (Twitter link) suggests keeping an eye on free agent defensive tackle Barry Cofield, who is recovering from groin and abdomen surgeries and should be ready to go in four to six weeks. Cofield, who was released by Washington earlier this year, said last week in an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio that he was “doing really well” in his recovery and was looking forward to signing with a team.

La Canfora On WR Extensions, Colts, JPP, Jets

July 27th, 2015 at 11:37am CST by Luke Adams

After addressing a few burning questions on DeflateGate, the Marcus Mariota contract negotiations, and Junior Galette‘s release, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com takes a look around the rest of the NFL, passing along several noteworthy tidbits from all over the league. Let’s dive right in and check out a few of the highlights from La Canfora’s newest piece…

La Canfora expects both Julio Jones and A.J. Green to sign new deals before the 2015 season begins, and estimates that both deals will fall in the range of $13MM per year. I’m guessing that figure takes into account their current $10.176MM salaries for 2015, so the annual average of the new money would be closer to the $14MM per year that Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas received.
Several executives around the league believe that Andrew Luck‘s price tag may end up being so high that it puts the Colts in a bind with T.Y. Hilton. La Canfora thinks Hilton’s extension could come in at close to $12MM per year, and some observers aren’t convinced Indianapolis would go that high.
Jason Pierre-Paul and the Giants will likely come to terms on a one-year contract agreement that features per-game roster bonuses, says La Canfora, adding that New York also hopes to get something out of Will Beatty in the season’s second half.
La Canfora suggests that Muhammad Wilkerson and the Jets should consider working out a short-term extension – perhaps for two or three years – that gives the standout defensive lineman a nice chunk of guaranteed money and buys the team some time to make long-term decisions on Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams. Wilkerson would be “very open” to the idea, per La Canfora.
Some team executives around the league raised an eyebrow at the Steelers‘ big-money extension for Cameron Heyward. However, Pittsburgh likes Heyward more than a lot of clubs do and was willing to take a “calculated gamble” on his upside, writes La Canfora.

Extension Candidate: Muhammad Wilkerson

July 12th, 2015 at 7:42pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Jets haven’t had a lot to root for on the field during the last couple of years of Rex Ryan’s reign in New York, especially as the short-lived era of John Idzik came to an end. However, as the team is looking forward under the new leadership of Todd Bowles and Mike Maccagnan, they do so with a roster rebuild that was started under the previous regime.

One of the crown jewels of the team is coming into the option year of his rookie-contract, which the Jets exercised and will pay him $6.969MM in 2015. As Bowles looks to build a defense that can be one of the best in the AFC for years to come, signing Wilkerson to a long-term extension could give him a cornerstone player to build around.

Wilkerson’s talent has been on the line between underrated and acknowledged for most of his career. As a 3-4 defensive end in a blitz-heavy scheme, he isn’t in a position to put up large numbers in the traditional statistical categories, only notching 24 sacks in his four seasons, including a robust 10.5 in 2013. When some analysts refer to him as the second-best player at his position in the NFL, the player he is being compared to is J.J. Watt, who has two Defensive Player of the Year trophies and 57 sacks over the same time frame.

While it may be flattering for Wilkerson to be in that company, Watt’s status as the NFL’s undisputed top defender makes his sidekick seem quite small, especially playing the same position as him. Even the other notable defensive linemen in the league often come from the 4-3 mold, with only Calais Campbell of the Cardinals joining Watt as a 3-4 defensive end in the Pro Bowl in 2015. Traditional 4-3 pass rushers from defensive end also accompanied Watt on the 2014 Pro Bowl roster, and only Haloti Ngata represented the position aside from Watt in 2013.

Therefore, despite being regarded as one of the top players at his position, Wilkerson has never made the Pro Bowl in his career, even though he was second-team All-Pro in 2013, and ranked as the 74th best player and 42nd best player in the NFL according to the NFL Newtwork’s list.

Still, advanced metric sites like Pro Football Focus (subscription required) have rated Wilkerson extremely highly, listing him as the second-best 3-4 defensive end in 2012 and third best in 2014. Watt was first both of those years, and Wilkerson’s teammate Sheldon Richardson ranked second this past season. Accordingly, he was named a Pro Football Focus All-Pro in both of those seasons.

The complications of Wilkerson’s case for an extension come from the presence of Richardson, and are only additionally muddled by the drafting of Leonard Williams with the fifth-overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. The Jets may make a case for having the best defensive line in football this coming season, which is notable for a fan base that saw its elder brother Giants win two Super Bowls on the strength of its defensive line in spite of mediocre quarterback play.

On the other hand, the strength along the defensive line also provides the Jets a certain amount of leverage in these talks, with adequate replacements for Wilkerson already on the roster and under team control on rookie contracts going forward. They can afford to play hardball with Wilkerson, knowing they will have two more years plus a fifth-year option with Richardson and the full length of Williams contract as well. That doesn’t include the potential to use the franchise tag on these players to add a year of team control to their contracts, an option that extends to Wilkerson as well.

All that team control, as well as the in-house options, decidedly suppresses Wilkerson’s market with the Jets. Richardson commented earlier this offseason that both he and his teammate were worth those big $100MM contracts, and even more. “We don’t just want J.J. Watt money. We want it all,” said Richardson. “We want Suh money. Hopefully everybody wants that type of bread in this league.”

Watt signed a six-year contract worth $100MM last offseason, and Suh signed a six-year contract worth more than $114MM earlier this year. Wilkerson’s situation more closely resembles Watt’s as a 2011 draft pick. In both cases, the team had the fifth-year option and franchise tag at their disposal.

Suh, drafted a year earlier, was not subject to the newer rookie-wage scale and therefore had a bloated salary with no team options to fall back on. His contract was renegotiated for short-term cap room, but the Lions could not afford to use the franchise tag or re-sign him, and he hit unrestricted free agency.

If Wilkerson keeps his performance up and waits out his time with the Jets, free agency would be the best place for him to secure a $100MM contract. Manish Mehta doesn’t believe the team would consider that sized contract in an extension, at least not this year.

Letting Wilkerson walk and waiting for Richardson to come up for an extension seemed like a good idea, especially if the Jets thought Richardson is the better player. Unfortunately for Richardson, his recent suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy weakens his case as well, therefore tipping the scale back in Wilkerson’s favor.

Richardson’s suspension was for marijuana use, and the policy for that offense includes a number of steps before suspension. That knowledge suggests that this isn’t his first positive test, and that this is an ongoing problem for Richardson as long as marijuana is included in the substance abuse policy. Add to that how outspoken Richardson has been about the type of money he eventually wants to command, and the team might see a safer option in Wilkerson.

As he is overshadowed by Watt on the field, if Wilkerson and the Jets are able to come to an agreement on an extension, he will also be overshadowed by Watt’s bank account. Based on production, given similar leverage, it is unfair to expect Wilkerson to match those numbers, even if waiting until closer to the end of the team’s control usually shifts leverage to the player.

In the scenario where the two sides are able to come together on a number, I think throwing Watt’s contract out would be a given, but given that after Watt’s $100MM the next highest total value for a contract is Calais Campbell and Cameron Jordan‘s similar five-year, $55MM deals, there is a lot of breathing room in between to work out, according to OverTheCap.com.

Even going to high profile 4-3 defensive ends like Robert Quinn‘s four-year deal worth $57MM and Charles Johnson‘s six-year, $76MM contract could be the high marks for Wilkerson. Johnson’s deal is an outlier in terms of production when accounting for the position he plays, but his position is also more valuable. Quinn has more star power, and his $14MM+ yearly salary is a big number to approach. If Wilkerson could get a six-year deal worth $70MM, that would put him in an elite tax bracket, well above all his contemporaries save for Watt.

However, it seems like both sides would have to make serious concessions to make that happen. The vibe coming from the Jets organization as well as Wilkerson’s camp is that they are comfortable playing out the string. I would still expect Wilkerson to be franchised after this season, but if he does reach free agency, I’d guess he gets a lot closer to the number he wants than he will with the Jets.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cole’s Latest: Pierre-Paul, Jets, Hardy

July 7th, 2015 at 3:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Nearly two weeks ago, I identified a number of NFL storylines worth watching during the break between June minicamps and the start of training camps. Among those topics? Jason Pierre-Paul and his fellow franchised players, extension candidates like Muhammad Wilkerson, and suspension appeals for players like Greg Hardy. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report delves into all three of those storylines today, so let’s round up the highlights:

According to Cole (video link), the Giants believe that Pierre-Paul “dodged a bullet” and that the hand injury he sustained over the weekend could’ve been worse. The team believes at this time that there’s no nerve damage in JPP’s hand that can’t be recovered from. However, the defensive end will likely undergo a skin graft procedure on his hand – if he hasn’t already – which is an uncommon health issue for an NFL player. Per Cole, the Giants are prepared to place Pierre-Paul on the non-football injury list to start the season, if necessary, which would sideline him for the first six weeks. We rounded up the rest of today’s JPP updates right here.
Even before the NFL announced that Sheldon Richardson would be suspended for four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, the Jets were concerned about eventually getting him locked up to an extension, says Cole (video link). The team considers Richardson a better player than Wilkerson, and initially preferred to extend Richardson, but his suspension, along with concern about his potential salary demands, may make Wilkerson the more likely extension candidate.
Cole (video link) hears from sources close to Hardy that the Cowboys defensive end is losing his will to fight the NFL in regard to his 10-game suspension, having been worn down by a long legal process. If Hardy’s appeal results in his ban being reduced by two or four games, he may be willing to accept the penalty rather than continuing to fight the NFL by filing a lawsuit against the league.

East Notes: Wilkerson, Washington, Battle

July 5th, 2015 at 11:22am CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a look at a few notes from the league’s east divisions:

Other writers have opined the same thing, but Darryl Slater of NJ.com definitively asserts that Muhammad Wilkerson, despite some speculation to the contrary, will not be holding out of Jets training camp this month.
Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com takes a look at five players who may begin the season on the Washington bench but who could crack the starting lineup before the end of the year. He tabs ILB Martrell Spaight and OLB Preston Smith as particularly intriguing players to watch in the Washington front seven.
Similarly, John Keim of ESPN.com believes Smith will ultimately overtake Trent Murphy as a full-time starter at outside linebacker. Washington‘s coaching staff loves Smith’s length, his hands, and his versatility, and Smith appears to have a much higher ceiling as a pass rusher.
In the same piece, Keim writes that Kirk Cousins still has fans on the Washington coaching staff and among certain players, but even though he showed flashes of strong play last year, the critical turnovers he made and his inability to respond well to those turnovers have compelled the team to hand Robert Griffin III the starting job.
Jordan Raanan of NJ.com does not expect the Giants to be interested in any of the players available in the supplemental draft. We heard yesterday that Clemson OT Isaiah Battle may be a good fit for Big Blue, but Raanan thinks otherwise. Although New York may take a flier on Battle in the sixth or seventh round of the supplemental draft, there are likely a number of other teams who will put a much higher value on his talent.
Shalise Manza Young of The Boston Globe offers her take on the 10 best moves made in the AFC East this offseason.

AFC Links: Browns, Broncos, Wilkerson, Pagano

June 14th, 2015 at 7:44pm CST by Ben Levine

While the loss of Josh Gordon will be a huge hit to the Browns‘ receiving corps, rookie Vince Mayle acknowledged to Nate Ulrich of the Beacon Journal that the team’s wideouts aren’t focused on the loss of their leader.

“It’s just going to be a team effort,” Mayle said. “We’re not really worried about replacing Josh Gordon. We’re focusing on the guys in the room. We’d love to have him, but right now we’re working with what we’ve got. There’s a great group of guys. They all have really good strengths, and they’re all really good to learn from. I’m really happy to be in a room with these guys because they’re all really helpful.”

Let’s take a look at some more notes out of the AFC…

No team is wasting less money than the Broncos, argues Mike Klis of 9News in Denver. The team has only $1.2MM in dead money (the second-lowest total in the league), and they have only $6.9MM in cap space (the fourth-lowest total in the league). According to Klis, only the Jets approach the Broncos in their “dollar-per-active player allocation,” as New York has $5.28MM in cap room and $3.4MM in dead money.
ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini examines the many outcomes of the Jets/Muhammad Wilkerson situation. The writer ultimately predicts that the defensive lineman with report to training camp, play the 2015 season under his current contract, and be slapped with the franchise tag following the season. Based on the comments made by Wilkerson’s agent (which indicated the his player is “willing to put the team ahead of his own contractual status”), Cimini surmises that the 25-year-old won’t be holding out.
Cimini writes that right guard is a major concern for the Jets, and he believes the organization should be on the phone with representatives for Evan Mathis. The writer suggests a two-year, $6MM deal.
Despite Jim Irsay and the Colts‘ one-year contract offer to head coach Chuck Pagano, ESPN.com’s Mike Wells doesn’t believe the situation will turn into a distraction. If the Colts perform up to expectations, Wells believes Pagano can expect to be paid a “nice lucrative deal” by either the Colts or another franchise.

East Notes: Wilkerson, Mosley, Eagles

June 10th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Luke Adams

While Muhammad Wilkerson isn’t saying much publicly about extension negotiations with the Jets, fellow defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson was happy to discuss Wilkerson’s contract situation on Tuesday, telling Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News that his teammate should be the NFL’s next $100MM man.

“He’s worth that penny,” Richardson said of Wilkerson. “And you know what penny I’m talking about. … We don’t just want J.J. Watt money. We want it all. We want [Ndamukong] Suh money. Hopefully everybody wants that type of bread in this league.”

If Wilkerson gets a $100MM contract, it won’t come from the Jets this year, according to Mehta, who points out that the team has the leverage at this point. The addition of first-round pick Leonard Williams to the defensive line somewhat weakened Wilkerson’s negotiating position, per Mehta.

Here’s more on Wilkerson, along with a couple more items out of the NFL’s East divisions:

More Richardson on Wilkerson, via Mehta: “If Gerald McCoy can get $100MM, I’m pretty sure my guy Mo Wilkerson can get $100MM.”
During his visit to Miami this week, defensive tackle C.J. Mosley received a contract offer from the Dolphins, who “made clear they would love to add him as soon as possible,” agent Harold Lewis tells Adam Beasley and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The Lions and one other unknown team also have interest in adding Mosley, who has yet to make a decision.
Eagles head coach Chip Kelly and safety Earl Wolff appear to be at odds over the defensive back’s recovery from microfracture surgery, writes Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Inquirer. As Bowen notes, Wolff is more upbeat about his recovery than Kelly, who instead emphasized how well Walter Thurmond is adapting to the safety position.

Jets Notes: Wilkerson, Brown, Green

June 9th, 2015 at 4:52pm CST by Zachary Links

Muhammad Wilkerson‘s agent, Chad Wiestling, issued a statement regarding his client, who reported to the Jets today. Here is that statement, courtesy of CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora (via Twitter links):

“Mo is and always had been a team-first player and is willing to put the team ahead of his own contractual status. Mo loves being a member of the Jets and would prefer to finish his career in New York,” the statement read.

Wilkerson reported to camp today and it sounds like all eyes will be on him over the next several weeks, unless the two sides come to terms on a new pact. Here’s more on the story that has managed to take some of the heat off of Geno Smith in New York, plus more on the Jets..

Wilkerson said he was told by his agent that contract talks will start to pick up, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. Wilkerson, of course, is looking for a long-term pact from Gang Green.
When asked whether he’ll entertain holding out of Jets training camp, Wilkerson said, “I’m not going to answer that question,” according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).
Wilkerson, who sounded somewhat positive about contract talks earlier in the year, said he’s “frustrated” about his contract situation, Mehta tweets. Wilkerson explained that he thought there would be a deal by this point in the offseason.
The Jets are trying out four players today, according to Dom Cosentino of The Star-Ledger (on Twitter). Those players are tackle Charles Brown, wide receiver Christian Green, wide receiver Mark Harrison, and cornerback Jonte Green.

AFC Notes: Gipson, Jets, Chargers, Bengals

June 9th, 2015 at 10:21am CST by Zachary Links

Safety Tashaun Gipson, the league’s only unsigned restricted free agent, almost certainly took notice when the Browns added a $2MM+ salary to their payroll for a punter (Andy Lee) this past weekend, writes Pat McManamon of ESPN.com. As McManamon points out, Gipson wasn’t thrilled when the team assigned him a second-round tender, and is believed to be seeking a long-term deal that assures him of some guaranteed money up front.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

Brian Costello of the New York Post ran down the top storylines to watch for in Jets camp, including the return of Muhammad Wilkerson, who is in the building today, as expected (Twitter link via Kristian Dyer of Metro New York). It’ll also be interesting to see whether offseason addition Ryan Fitzpatrick can eventually leapfrog Geno Smith for the starting job. For now, Jets coaches say that Smith will be under center unless he totally flames out this summer.
San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer is now going on the offensive against the Chargers and the team isn’t happy about it, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. “This new negative advertising campaign against the Chargers — launched just as the team began negotiations with the city — speaks volumes about what the Mayor and his political operatives have really been up to on this issue from the start,” Chargers special counsel Mark Fabiani said of the mayor’s sponsored Facebook post going after the club. “They have always seemed more concerned with political cover than with actually building a stadium.”
Former NFL wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh is among the intern coaches on the Bengals‘ staff for the 2015 season, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). Houshmandzadeh, who spent most of his career in Cincinnati and earned a Pro Bowl spot as a Bengal in 2007, last played for the Raiders in 2011.
As Field Yates of ESPN.com details, Joe Cardona‘s rookie contract with the Patriots features only a $100K signing bonus rather than the $190K his draft slot calls for. However, Cardona can earn up to $100K in roster bonuses over the next three seasons if he’s on the team, so the Pats are presumably protecting themselves a little in case the long snapper has to serve in the Navy.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Jets’ Muhammad Wilkerson To Report To Camp

June 8th, 2015 at 4:42pm CST by Zachary Links

Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson says that Muhammad Wilkerson has informed him that he’ll be coming to the team’s mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, according to ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson. Wilkerson has been away from the team in hopes of hammering out a new long-term contract.

“It’s a business; I guess it takes a long time,” Wilkerson said on Friday about the prospect of a long-term contract extension. “This is new to me. But, hopefully, something will get done soon.”

Wilkerson is entering his walk year and is presently due to make $6.9MM this year. If Wilkerson were to skip all three days of the minicamp, he would be fined more than $72K. It sounds like he is going to avoid that short-term hit while still pushing for long-term security. Wilkerson has maintained a positive attitude about remaining with Gang Green so far and presumably wants to familiarize himself with the schemes of new head coach Todd Bowles.

The former first-round pick from the 2011 NFL Draft has made a legitimate case for himself as the second best 3-4 defensive end in the league, after the possibly immortal J.J. Watt. According to Pro Football Focus, Wilkerson graded out as the second-best at his position in 2012 and third-best in 2014 (subscription required). Watt finished first in each of the past three seasons.

What complicates his contract situation is the player who finished second in Pro Football Focus’ grades last season, Wilkerson’s teammate and fellow first-round selection Richardson. Adding potential star Leonard Williams with the fifth-overall pick in this past NFL Draft hurt Wilkerson’ leverage even further.

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