Ever since he received the franchise tag from the Jets nearly two months ago, defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson has been considered a trade candidate, but with the draft right around the corner, there’s still no momentum toward a deal. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), the club has fielded calls on Wilkerson, but there hasn’t been much action on that front.
At this point, a Wilkerson trade is considered unlikely, per Rapoport. That could always change — if a team misses out on its top defensive line target(s) on Thursday, perhaps that club puts a Friday pick on the table as part of a trade package for Wilkerson and the Jets like the offer. For now though, Gang Green is content to move forward with a very talented defender on the roster, says Rapoport.
Let’s check in on a few other draft-related Jets notes…
- The Jets may be targeting a wide receiver in the first round, according to Rapoport, who tweets that TCU’s Josh Doctson and Notre Dame’s Will Fuller are among the names to watch. That would be a surprising direction for New York, since the club already has a solid receiving corps and has more significant question marks elsewhere.
- Rich Cimini of ESPN.com is hearing that the Jets have cooled on Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch, suggesting that Lynch is “too boom-or-bust to take a chance in the first round.” Cimini believes it’s more likely that the club will target Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg on day two of the draft.
- While the Jets would like to add an edge rusher, they may have to wait until the second round to address that spot, tweets Cimini, adding that Boise State’s Kamalei Correa is on the team’s radar.
Mo Wilks for the 15th. Jets take Conklin and then Ragland at 20. Hackenburg round 2. Corner round 3.
I don’t see the Jets trading Wilks before the draft. Any team acquiring him would want him to agree to an extension before the trade. No team is going to give up a 1st round pick for him and then have to try to negotiate a contract. Even though the acquiring team could just tag him again next year, that would just raise his price again and would be undesired outcome.
Mo is making a ton of money this year, and he isn’t under contract next year. Sure, the acquiring team can franchise him again next year, but that just raises his base salary for the following year (assuming they want to keep him).
If he was on a mid-to-long term deal for a reasonable amount of money, he could absolutely fetch a first round pick for the Jets based on his talent level. But with the contract situation being what it is, I HIGHLY doubt they get a first rounder, unless they plan on swapping theirs with someone else’s.
You do realize he has 2 years of Franchise Tagging attached to him right? He basically is on a 2 year like 36M deal. Not a 1 year rental.
Not like you’re talking about a 30 year old dude. 26, top 5 3-4 DE. That’s 2 years to workout a long term deal.
How does Kaep for Wilkerson straight up
I just posted in another site: Why wouldn’t the Jets look at Kap? Kap for Wilkerson helps both teams. The Jets can then pick the edge rusher they want in the draft.