The New York Jets announced today they have signed veteran DL Muhammad Wilkerson to a multi-year extension.
Wilkerson led the club with 12 sacks last season and was selected to his first Pro Bowl. He was a key cog up front for a defense that allowed a franchise low 83.4 yards per game on the ground.
A Temple product who joined the Jets as a first-round selection in 2011, Wilkerson has recorded 36.5 sacks and has paced the club in that category two of the past three seasons. In 2013, Wilkerson was voted the Curtis Martin Team MVP by his teammates after starting all 16 games and racking up 10.5 sacks along with a career-high 91 tackles. He started 16 games his rookie season and recorded a safety on the first sack of his career, when he got a hold of Luke McCown in Wilkerson's second professional game.
The 6'4", 315-pound Wilkerson has excelled over his five seasons as a 3-4 DE and has also thrived when shifting inside in sub packages. He is an elite player on one of the most talented positional units in football as the Jets also boast a pair of first-round talents up front in Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams. The Jets finished No. 4 overall defensively last season while finishing No. 1 in red zone and No. 3 in third down efficiency respectively.
Wilkerson, who broke his right leg in the regular season finale vs. the Bills, has continued to rehab throughout the offseason. After the Green & White placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Wilkerson in March, the two sides had until today at 4:00 p.m. to hammer out a multiyear contract or extension.
In 77 career games, Wilkerson has totaled 372 tackles along with 19 PDs, seven forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
