Here's exactly how Muhammad Wilkerson's Jets contract came together
Darryl Slater | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com By Darryl Slater | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
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on July 16, 2016 at 9:00 AM, updated July 16, 2016 at 9:39 AM
Ever since Mike Maccagnan became the Jets' general manager last offseason, contract discussions had been virtually non-existent with defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson's camp. The two sides spoke, sure. But meaningful dialogue rarely happened.
Wilkerson, a Linden native who is perhaps the Jets' best player, desperately wanted a lucrative, long-term contract from his hometown team, which drafted him in the first round in 2011. But as Friday's 4 p.m. franchise tag deadline neared, Wilkerson figured there was no chance he'd sign a deal.
Analyzing Jets' Muhammad Wilkerson contract
He was prepared to play 2016 on a one-year tag contract. He also was not going to report when training camp began July 27. He was serious about this. After all, as long as he didn't sign his tag, he couldn't be fined for no-showing. He was that fed up with this whole stalemate.
Last week, Jets executives and Wilkerson's agent, Chad Wiestling, engaged in brief conversations that again went nowhere — just like how Wilkerson's contract situation had stalled over the past year and a half.
So how, then, did Wilkerson end up getting a five-year, $86 million contract (including $54 million guaranteed) from the Jets just before Friday's deadline? How did he pocket $37 million fully guaranteed in the first two years, including a $15 million signing bonus and $22 million in total base salaries for 2016 and 2017?
(Wilkerson's 2016 salary cap figure will be about half of the $15.701 million he was due to make on the franchise tag — a cap savings of about $7.85 million for the Jets.)
It started Wednesday night, around 8:30, when the Jets sent a contract offer that finally intrigued Wilkerson's camp. All of the sporadic previous offers over the past 18 months had failed to even approach what Wilkerson wanted. Before Wednesday, the sides were nowhere close. But this? This was a much richer offer.
The Jets were ready to play ball. But they held firm on offering a five-year deal. Wilkerson wanted a six-year contract. Wilkerson's camp spent Thursday pondering the Jets' offer from Wednesday. Five years was fine, as long as the money approached what defensive tackle Fletcher Cox got from the Eagles — $63 million guaranteed, with $36 million fully guaranteed at signing.
The negotiation wheels began to turn. The two sides talked sporadically Thursday. Then, around 3:15 a.m. Friday, the Jets sent a new, better offer. Now, the Wilkerson camp was really intrigued. From Friday morning right up until the 4 p.m. deadline, the two sides went back and forth over the telephone.
Wilkerson's camp liked that the Jets' offer had improved to about $17 million per year — almost exactly what Cox got. But Friday's sticking point was the contract's injury guarantee money in Year 3. Wilkerson's camp wanted money moved from the back end of the contract, in order to improve the Year 3 value.
The deal didn't officially get done until just before 4 p.m. And like that, contract negotiations that were dormant until Wednesday night had transformed into, well, a contract.
How essentially non-existent were talks before Wednesday? The Jets made an offer at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. The two sides talked in early June, and again briefly last week. But other than that? Silence.
This deal coming together at the last minute stunned not only outside observers, but also those intimately involved in the process, including Wilkerson. He had come to accept that it surely would not happen. He never imagined it would. Not until everything changed Wednesday, and the Jets increased their offer.
Wilkerson, who never wanted to leave the Jets and his home state, is excited to have this over. Relieved, really. It is a weight off his shoulders. No more questions, from others or even in his own mind, about what the future holds.
Darryl Slater may be reached at
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