Saturday, February 8, 2014

Wilkerson won't hold out, wants to be 'a Jet for life'

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson plays a different position than cornerback Darrelle Revis both on and off the field.

Wilkerson, the New York Jets' current best player, doesn't plan on doing this year what Revis, the Jets' former best player, did repeatedly in the offseason during his time in Green and White.

After multiple reports surfaced stating Wilkerson is primed for a possible holdout as he approaches his upcoming contract year, Metro New York's Kristian Dyer got some information straight from the horse's mouth.

". . . all that holdout and all that other talk that people were saying and everything – I never said anything like that," Wilkerson told Dyer this weekend. "I’m not going to hold out."

Revis staged multiple holdouts with the Jets, ultimately resulting in him being traded last year so New York would avoid losing him to free agency this year for nothing.

The Jets would be wise to give Wilkerson a long-term extension, which they could never get done with Revis, though the soon-to-be fourth-year defensive lineman claims no serious negotiations are happening at the moment.

Wilkerson is still on the rise, leading the team in sacks last year with 10.5, continuing his stout work against the run and grading out as one of the league's premier defensive lineman by Pro Football Focus.

He wants to continue ascending under Rex Ryan. Hopefully forever.

"At the end of the day," Wilkerson said, "I want to be a Jet for life."

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