dreaming of mo
jints dying to get hands on wilkerson
INDIANAPOLIS — All signs point to the Jets placing their franchise tag on pending free agent Muhammad Wilkerson, but if the defensive end does somehow find his way to free agency, he won’t have to look far for a suitor.
The Giants have Wilkerson rated as one of their top free-agent targets, according to a source. The Giants need help along the defensive line, and Wilkerson, who was second-team All-Pro last season, would provide it. Wilkerson had 12 sacks in 2015. The Giants ranked 30th in the NFL in sacks with 23.
The problem for Big Blue is it seems highly unlikely they ever will get a chance to bid on Wilkerson in free agency. The Jets are expected to place the tag on Wilkerson this week and the deadline for teams to do so is Tuesday. The Jets are expected to meet with Wilkerson’s representatives here this week at the NFL Scouting Combine, which gets under way Wednesday.
Though the Giants probably won’t get a shot at signing Wilkerson as a free agent, they could be a tag-and-trade candidate if the Jets shop Wilkerson after tagging him. Would the Jets actually ship their star to the rival Giants? It’s hard to imagine. But the Giants do have the No. 10 pick in the draft and the cap space to meet Wilkerson’s contract demands. Do the Giants like Wilkerson enough to actually part with the 10th overall pick? That is unknown.
Once the Jets place the tag on Wilkerson, they will be on the hook to pay him about $15.5 million this season. They have until July to work out a long-term deal or let him play under the tag in 2016. If a longterm deal does not look likely, Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan may turn his attention to a trade scenario.
Tag-and-trades are not easy, though. A team must be willing to give the Jets the compensation they are looking for in terms of draft picks and meet Wilkerson’s contract demands.
The Giants are not the only team interested in Wilkerson. Teams around the NFL are watching Wilkerson’s situation closely. Any team who talks to Wilkerson’s representatives without the Jets’ permission this week is tampering by the letter of the law, but you would be delusional if you don’t think teams are asking Wilkerson’s reps what kind of contract he is seeking with the idea of a tag-and-trade in mind if the Jets decide to go down that road.
Though resolving Wilkerson’s status is the most noteworthy item on the Jets’ list this week, it is not their only task. Besides evaluating the draft prospects, Jets brass also need to work on locking up the players they hope to keep from hitting free agency on March 9. That list includes quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, nose tackle Damon Harrison and running backs Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell.
Maccagnan still has work to do on the team’s salary cap, too. That work began Monday with the release of cornerback Antonio Cromartie, which cleared $8 million in cap space. The Jets also are expected to ask tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson to take a paycut to reduce his bloated cap figure ($14.1 million). Other candidates to be cut to clear cap space are tackle Breno Giacomini ($4.375 million in savings), wide receiver Jeremy Kerley ($1.3 million) and tight end Jeff Cumberl and ($1.9 million). brian.costello@nypost.com