Muhammad Wilkerson: Argument for Trading Star Lineman Disappearing

Entering the offseason there was a school of thought the Jets should look to trade Muhammad Wilkerson to free up over $15 million in cap space. The theory went that the Jets could survive the loss of Mo with Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams on the roster. The money opened up plus what the Jets could acquire in a trade would be more valuable. So the theory went. I was never a big subscriber to this theory.

Now that we are a week into free agency, that argument is disappearing. The reason is the free agents have disappeared. There are still some quality players available, but the opportunity to use that money on difference-makers has been closing. It will soon be gone. Most of the top free agents are no longer on the market.

This is no surprise. It is quite plausible the Jets decided they were best off keeping their star lineman. Even with Richardson and Williams, he has a tremendous amount of value. Those guys were both on the team last season, and Wilkerson was the most valuable player the defense had.

Even if you did believe in that theory, however, at the start of free agency, the practical argument is now largely gone. At least the one about spending the $15 million more efficiently is.