Jets DE Muhammad Wilkerson Plans To Play Out Contract, Possible Test Open Market

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media is reporting that Jets DL Muhammad Wilkerson intends to play out the final year of his contract, given that the two parties have yet to reach an agreement on a long-term deal.

• Albert Breer mentions that there’s a chance the Jets could consider trading Wilkerson for draft picks at some point next year.

There was talk that unless a deal was done this past weekend, Wilkerson was likely to cut off negotiations until after the season.

Wilkerson should have no shortage of suitors on the open market. However, he may not even get that far, seeing as the Jets will still have their franchise tag at their disposal in 2016, which would run them around $16 million.

Wilkerson, 25, is already among the best defensive linemen in the NFL and has clearly earned for a big raise after the contracts signed by marquee players in recent months.

In 2014, Wilkerson appeared in 13 games and recorded 56 tackles, six sacks, one forced fumble and and five pass defenses. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 3 defensive end in a 3-4 system.

We’ll have more regarding the Jets and Wilkerson as the news is available.