New York Jets: Analyzing the Muhammad Wilkerson Contract

New York Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson has finally received the contract extension he had been waiting for.  Here is a breakdown.

Now that took long enough.

After being promised a new deal as far back as 2013, defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson has finally received that new contract he had been long waiting for. It was an emotional ride for Wilkerson, who as recently as June 16th told Brian Costello of the New York Post that he felt the team didn’t want him. A last-minute stunner earned him a five-year extension worth $85 million, as noted at Spotrac. The Jets released the information first with this Tweet:

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If we take a look at the details of the contract, we see the absolute brilliance of Jets’ general manager Mike Maccagnan. Wilkerson got paid and he put the team in better position than it was prior to the deal being signed.

First of all, the contract is “front-loaded”. In other words, much of the money comes at the beginning of the contract rather than at the end. For Wilkerson, it means he is receiving $36.75 million out of the $85 million over the first two years. He would represent $43.7 million in dead money if cut in 2016, and $26.7 million if cut in 2017. That number drops to $9 million in 2018, $6 million in 2019, and $3 million in 2020.

That just happens to coincide with the end of Sheldon Richardson‘s rookie contract. Per Spotrac, Richardson becomes a free agent after the 2017 season. The Jets now have the flexibility to make a decision between the Richardson and Wilkerson at that point, should they choose to do so. If Wilkerson isn’t the same player after the injury, they can make a move. If Richardson doesn’t stop getting into trouble, they can say goodbye.

Or they can keep both, and still watch Leonard Williams continue his rise to stardom. No matter what, it puts the Jets in a position to control their own destiny here, which is always a strong position to be in.

The new deal also might help the Jets re-sign this guy as well.

At this point, fans are divided on whether or not the team needs Ryan Fitzpatrick back. Some believe he is the key to success, while others are ready to hand the team over to Geno Smith once more. With this deal, the Fitzpatrick fans have a better chance at getting their guy back than they did before.

Wilkerson’s 2016 cap hit under the new deal is $10 million. Had he played under the franchise tag it would have been $15.7 million. Prior to the deal being signed, the Jets had approximately $3 million in cap room, according to Over the Cap. The extra money could go along way to reunite the Jets and their incumbent starting quarterback.

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Good sound decisions. It’s a new day for the Jets. That new day now includes keeping their homegrown star.