What should Jets do about their best defensive lineman?

Mo Wilkerson is the Jets’ best defensive lineman.

Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams are terrific players, but right now Wilkerson is the best of the trio.

Wilkerson is right out of central casting to play 3-4 end – long arms, feet of a dancing bear, powerful, great technique and can play the run and pass rush with equal proficiency. He’s also the most consistent of the Jets’ troika up front.

But with that being said, it would be hard for the Jets to give him between $50-60 million guaranteed, like Olivier Vernon (Giants), Marcell Dareus (Bills) and Ndamukong Suh (Dolphins) are getting.

Just because other teams go overboard with contracts, why do the Jets have to follow suit?

You are starting to see more and more teams saying to players, “Heck no, we aren’t give you the money that so-and-so got!”

You saw that with the Carolina Panthers and cornerback Josh Norman. He wanted Darrelle Revis-money, and the Panthers moved on. He signed with the Washington Redskins. You might see the Panthers take the same approach with defensive tackle Kawann Short. Those talks reportedly aren’t going well.

You are seeing that with the Denver Broncos and linebacker Von Miller, who is essentially being offered a two-year deal for $39 million guaranteed, nowhere near what he wants in an upfront guarantee.

The deal New Orleans gave defensive end Cameron Jordan seems fair for Wilkerson – a five-year contract for $55 million with $34.5 million guaranteed. Perhaps sweeten the pot a little, but what is wrong with that kind of deal?

I know he’s not going to take that, but if I’m running the Jets, I don’t care about Vernon, Dareus and Suh are making. Why copy profligate spending?

For now, it’s more than likely that Wilkerson will play the 2016 season on the franchise tag, especially since he’s still rehabbing a broken leg, which further complicates his contract situation.

But the Jets should definitely keep him in the fold this year. He’s their best defensive lineman right now, and probably their best defensive player.

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Dan Leberfeld
Dan Leberfeldhttps://www.jetsconfidential.com
Publisher of Jets Confidential Magazine. Call 1-800-932-4557 (M-F, 12-4) to subscribe. Co-host of Press Coverage every Saturday on SiriusXM NFL Radio from 11-2.

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