IT'S PLAYTIME
With contract done, Wilkerson devoted to being Jets leader
Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson expressed relief Wednesday at the last-minute contract extension he received last week that put a sudden stop to what had been a testy standoff.
“I’m just happy to get a deal done,” Wilkerson said on a conference call with reporters. “The situation is over with, and now I can just focus on football and getting ready for the season. I’m ready to get things rolling now. I don’t have to worry about a contract situation.”
Wilkerson had the franchise tag lifted Friday just minutes before the leaguewide deadline, when the Jets swooped in with a surprise extension worth $86 million over five years, including $53.5 million guaranteed.
Wilkerson had yet to sign the franchise tender and was expected to be a noshow at training camp prior to the Jets’ late movement. Wilkerson said Wednesday there were no hard feelings.
“It’s part of the business,” Wilkerson said. “That’s how the NFL works. Now that it’s over with, I can focus on football and the locker room and be the leader of this team that I am.”
Wilkerson, 26, also was elated by the Jets’ decision because it allowed him to remain in his native New Jersey.
“I definitely wanted to be here,” Wilkerson said. “I’m from New Jersey, my family’s from here, I want to raise my children here, and I wanted to be here.”
Wilkerson, who suffered a broken leg in a Week 17 loss to the Bills, said his rehabilitation is coming along well enough that he has been able to run four times a week since the start of July.
Wilkerson isn’t likely to be available for the start of camp next Wednesday, but he has no worries about the season opener.
“I’ll be ready for Week 1,” he vowed.
Before the injury, Wilkerson was having his best statistical season in 2015, with career highs in sacks (12), fumbles forced (3) and pass defenses (7). He also was named to the NFL All-Pro second team for a fourth consecutive season.