Muhammad Wilkerson reads the news. He sees other players in the NFL getting contract extensions while OTAs are ongoing. However, he is still not one of them. The defensive end is preparing to enter the final year of his contract and wants an extension before the season starts. He is holding out until that happens. However, general manager Mike Maccagnan is stressing that Wilkerson show patience.
Maccagnan told the New York Post that he has no plans on trading the defensive end despite drafting Leonard Williams in the first round. However, he also has no plans of making sure an extension gets done. Wilkerson became the focus after the New Orleans Saints signed Jordan Cameron to a five-year deal worth $60 million with $33.6 million in guaranteed money. Maccagnan told the Post the contract reset the market after what JJ Watt signed for and now negotiations might be easier.
"It's going to be a process," Maccagnan said, via the New York Post. "We're just going to see. I don't really want to put a timeline on anything. I'm just going to see how this plays out in the near future. I would hope [to get an extension done] at some point in time. Each player is kind of different in how you slot or grade them."
Wilkerson told the media that he is not happy about the lack of progress regarding his contract status, especially after seeing the Jordan deal, but he does plan on reporting when New York holds their mandatory minicamp. That will end the holdout for the defensive end who has not been seen at OTAs. Williams has been getting in a lot of work in his place which means the veteran has something to prove coming into practice.
Dee Milliner is another player with a lot to prove while not getting the chance to. The cornerback is currently rehabbing a season-ending Achilles tear and has barely been active at OTAs while facing plenty of trade rumors around his name. According to CBSSports.com, Milliner has been running at OTAs, but is nowhere near where he needs to be in terms of health. There is doubt he will be ready for training camp which will hurt his chances to battle alongside Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie in 2015.
Cromartie is making it clear that the bust label on Milliner is simply unfair. The cornerback has not exactly had two seasons to remember with the Jets, leading the team to stock up on other options. Cromartie believes that will only make the cornerback better in the long run.
"I think, right now, this gives Dee that opportunity to come in and just get comfortable, get all the way healthy and just go play football to the best of his ability without thinking,"Cromartie said, via Dom Cosentino of NJ Advance Media. "It's not a point of saying, 'He's a first-round bust,' because I don't believe that. He shows a lot of potential in what he can do when he's healthy."
