INDIANAPOLIS — The Jets said “No Mo” to Muhammad Wilkerson on Wednesday.
The team released the veteran defensive end after two disappointing seasons, making him a free agent. Wilkerson was two years into a five-year, $86 million deal that he signed in 2016. He made $37 million over the past two seasons from that contract.
The Jets cleared $11 million in salary-cap space by cutting Wilkerson. He carries a charge of $9 million in dead money.
“It wasn’t disciplinary at all,” coach Todd Bowles said. “It was a business decision that we made. We felt it was good for both parties and we made that decision.
“I’m disappointed for the team. I’m disappointed for him. Obviously it didn’t work out, but I have a lot of love for Mo. I think he’s still got a lot of football ahead of him, and he’s got some good football ahead of him. I just wish him the best.”
It is a sad ending to a Jets career that began with so much promise. The 2011 first-round pick from New Jersey had monster seasons as a pass rusher in 2013 (10.5 sacks) and 2015 (12 sacks), when he was voted into his only Pro Bowl.
After haggling over a contract for several years, the Jets agreed to the long-term deal with Wilkerson in July 2016. It did not pan out. Wilkerson broke his leg in the final game of the 2015 season and was not the same player in 2016 as he recovered from the injury. His pass-rushing productivity dipped, and he had 4.5 sacks. Last year, he was fully recovered from the leg injury, but dealt with shoulder and toe injuries and was not the impact player the Jets wanted. He had 3.5 sacks. He still played well against the run, but teams don’t pay $18 million for run-stuffers.
Wilkerson, 28, also had tardiness problems that came to a head at the end of the season. After being benched for the start of games in 2015 and ’16, Wilkerson was late again this year multiple times. He was benched for the first quarter against the Chiefs in December and then was inactive for the final three games of the season.
Wilkerson will now have to rehabilitate his image in order to get a new team. The sad part of the Wilkerson saga was he flushed his Jets career because he could not be on time. It was not like he committed crimes or failed drug tests; he simply had an alarm clock problem.
The Jets had one of the best defensive lines in football in 2015 with Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson, Leonard Williams and Damon Harrison. Only Williams is left.