so many jets fans on multiple forums have gone chicken headed and assumed that because Muhammad Wilkerson hasn't signed a new deal yet that means he's trade bait. not singling out anybody who suggested the idea here (I honestly don't remember who) but some have suggested we trade him for the titans number 2 pick while we snatch Mariota. Thats asinine as all hell. no, really thats an idea with no foothold in reality for one major reason among many. why would Tennessee trade for Wilkerson, who as we all know is on the last year of his current contract and will need a big new deal, when they can draft Williams to play relatively on the cheap for years? for that matter why would any team want Wilkerson instead of drafting a high pick when they have to worry about his new deal? and why would we even want to trade him? and really where the hell is this notion coming from that Wilkerson's contract is unsolvable by this FO? that he's holding out for too much?
I think people are looking at the assumption that the Jets D will be just as good without him. He has high trade value for a team looking to improve their defense. I think the team should trade him, find a decent replacement and use that money on offense. Not necessarily this year but in the near future.
Idk why we trade Mo when we have him cheap for two more years. There is no reason to believe his play will decline so why not get another year out of him and possibly get more trade value next year... When we see what we have after a year of the new regime.
The Jets D will NOT be just as good without him. He's a top 5 3-4 defensive end and one of the most dominant players against the run in the NFL. He single handedly blows up the run, and has an added bonus of being a good pass rusher. Pairing him with Sheldon creates havoc up front. There would be a gaping hole without him on the roster. I can't even fathom how dumb it would be to trade him. The way to win in the NFL is by drafting well and developing elite franchise players, then paying them when they're due. If we trade away Revis then Wilk 2 years later, the best 2 players we've drafted in the last decade, it would be a great indicator of why we can't build a team that consistently puts up winning seasons.
You're severely underestimating how big of an impact Mo has on our defense. You don't just find a decent replacement for one of the top 3 defensive linemen in the league.
I don't know about the rumors, but the new market benchmark has been set with JJ $100M deal. I don't believe NYJ would have to come to contract terms of more than JJ but I'd be willing to bet that we'll have to come pretty close for a 6yr deal. Unfortunately, Sheldon Richardson is right behind him in contract renegotiation and I don't know if there is enough money to keep both studs of high value on long term deals. I believe they should commit to him. If he's the top 5 (probably top 3) DE in the league, why would you not try keep him. We just chased down a top 3 CB for the same reason! If you want your DL to remain solid as it is right now, you'll be paying top money for one of the 2
If we draft an OLB, we'll have a 1st round 3-4 DE sitting on the bench. Would Coples be as good as Mo? Of course not, but would having Marioda make up the difference? And then some?
1. Calvin Pace would sit before Quinton Coples. 2. No guarantee Mariota will even be good. I like him but not enough to trade one of our top three players (Revis, Wilkerson, Richardson).
Unless Wilk steps up his game significantly he's not only not getting Watt money but in the future they aren't going to want to franchise him which will give him high double digits on a one year deal. In other words he has to prove it on the field and so far he hasn't. Which makes him very tradeable.
It's a coping mechanism. Fans are worried that Wilkerson may not sign a long-term deal with our team; we've seen it happen many times before with good players despite a willingness on both sides to negotiate. If that happens we would much rather get something from Wilkerson (in a trade, for example) rather than lose him to free agency and get nothing.
I'd settle for top 5. You have guys like Atkins, Dareus, Kyle Williams and McCoy that float around there as well.
I wouldn't call Wilkerson an elite defensive end, but he is one of the best in the game. He is 25 years old, why trade him. Re-sign him, and make him a Jet for life.
Concur, he's a REALLY good player for us and with some strategic cap planning, next year we should lock him up. _
