Muhammad Wilkerson is still waiting for that mega-deal.
The Jets' best defensive player and 2011 first-round draft pick has always been viewed as a franchise cornerstone. Although he's under contract until 2015, it would be advantageous for both sides to work out a deal before the start of next season.
"I mean, I thought it would be done, but it wasn't, so, hey, it is what it is," Wilkerson told ESPN.com. "I'm patiently waiting. If it happens, it happens."
After New York traded Darrelle Revis, the team immediately began promoting Wilkerson as the face of the franchise. He is a popular jersey option; he has his picture on billboards; and he's on the radio every week in New York, speaking as one of the Jets' leaders.
Letting another homegrown talent defect from this defense would be absurd and unfair to a fan base that has seen plenty of unwelcome change over the past two years.
If general manager John Idzik survives the Black Monday purge, Wilkerson needs to be one of his top priorities heading into a crucial offseason.
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