With The First Pick
Fansided

Muhammad Wilkerson not Reporting

By Carl Cockerham

Nov 29, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson (96) reacts to the crowd in the second half of the Jets 38-20 victory over the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 29, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson (96) reacts to the crowd in the second half of the Jets 38-20 victory over the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports /
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New York Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson is looking to secure his future with a new deal. But all the team did was secure Wilkerson’s services for the 2016 season with the franchise tag.

Or did they?

Wilkerson hasn’t signed the contract for than franchise tag or reported to any of the Jets’s offseason workouts so far. And after seeing what defensive lineman Fletcher Cox got recently, it just got harder for him to report to any workouts and it just might last into training camp.

Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports that according to sources, Wilkerson is unhappy that he still doesn’t have a long-term contract, won’t sign his franchise-tag tender anytime soon and might not report for the start of training camp in late July.

Wilkerson will definitely skip the team’s mandatory minicamp, which begins Tuesday. He hasn’t signed his tender so he can’t be fined for not participating in the 3-day event. The Jets can’t fine  Wilkerson at all because he’s not under contract.

The only way he can lose any of his $15.7 million franchise tender is if he skips regular-season games. Yes, Wilkerson can show up the week of the regular-season opener, sign the tender, and get it all. After July 15, the Jets can’t give Wilkerson a long-term contract.

So at the very least, Wilkerson could use a holdout to leverage better terms for his one-year contract, from more money to an agreement not to tag him again in 2017.He is still rehabbing a surgically repaired broken leg, sustained in the final game of the season.

So he wouldn’t have been able to participate in the upcoming minicamp anyway. But this thing can get ugly and lengthy as Wilkerson has no consequences if he decides to stay away from training camp.

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