It was a deadline stunner. The New York Jets announced on Friday that they had locked up defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson to a long-term extension. This is a deal that not many people saw coming. Friday at 4 p.m. was the deadline for teams to agree to long-term deals with the player that the franchise tagged. And for the longest time, it looked as if the Jets were not going to agree to a deal with Wilkerson. They were going to let him play this year under the franchise tag and then let him walk after the season.
4 p.m. came on deadline day and there was no reported deal between the Jets and Wilkerson. Again, not a surprise. And then out of nowhere at 4:29 p.m. the Jets official Twitter account tweeted, “Big Mo. Locked up. We’ve signed @mowilkerson to a multi-year extension.” And so to a lot of people’s surprise it was official, the Jets agreed to an extension with Muhammad Wilkerson. The deal is a five-year deal worth $85 million. He gets $37 million in the first two years and $54 million in the first three years.
Shortly after the agreement, Wilkerson released a statement on Twitter. “I give my all every Sunday on the field and play with so much love and passion for the game. I’m thankful for everything that comes my way and proud to say I’m back on the green and white for a few more years,” said Wilkerson. And according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Jets got this done at the last minute. “If it appears the Jets were scrambling for Mo Wilkerson’s 5-year extension, it’s because they were. Wild 12 hours to beat the clock,” said Rapoport. This was a big day for the Jets agreeing to a long-term deal that many agree is the teams best player. Last year Wilkerson had 64 total tackles and a career-high 12 sacks. So the Jets decided to reward a homegrown player.