Jets Offseason Moves: Muhammad Wilkerson Would Cost a Lot to Tag Next Year

One thing to note about the status of Muhammad Wilkerson is that the Jets will likely need to make a decision sooner rather than later about what they want to do long-term.

The franchise tag bought them some time this year. Could the team franchise him again next season? In theory it is possible, but it would get difficult. You might remember that defensive ends with the tag get $15.7 million. What would the figure be to tag Wilkerson again after the 2016 season?

If 120% of the player's current salary is higher than the franchise tag value, the player gets that instead. 120% of Wilkerson's 2016 salary would be just a tad under $18.9 million. So that is the figure Wilkerson would be looking at if tagged a second time. That would be a difficult expense to justify.

So as this situation plays out, keep in mind the deadline for a long-term decision is sooner rather than later.