Ripple effect of Revis deal seen with Wilkerson

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As protests go, skipping the first phase of voluntary workouts is the equivalent of muttering under one’s breath.

So you miss a chance in early April to train and run with your teammates. And you don’t get to see the strength coach. It’s not seismic stuff.

The Jets’ season doesn’t hinge on Muhammad Wilkerson getting his lift in with his teammates in New Jersey. But the defensive tackle’s absence from workouts which began Monday does illustrate his irritation with the fact that everybody’s getting paid but Mo.

Rich Cimini, who covers the Jets for ESPN, took stock of Wilkerson’s situation, writing, “New (Jets) GM Mike Maccagnan, the beneficiary of (former Jets GM John) Idzik's frugal approach, has no choice but to spend money, per the league's minimum-spending requirement -- and he's throwing around some serious cash. The Jets have doled out about $90 million in guaranteed money, including an obscene $39 million to Darrelle Revis. So Wilkerson, loyal Jet, is wondering, 'What about me?' They still have $12 million in cap room, including Wilkerson's $6.969 million salary. In other words, there's enough space to make Wilkerson happy.”

The 25-year-old Wilkerson is one of the best young defensive tackles in the league and – along with Sheldon Richardson – is part of a destructive defensive tackle duo for new Jets coach Todd Bowles.

He’s been a team leader, according to Cimini, who notes that Wilkerson came back from a painful turf toe injury to play the final two games of Rex Ryan’s played-out tenure.

So he’s a good player and an important player. But what’s interesting to me is that Wilkerson isn’t really getting jobbed that badly. For a player that hasn’t been to a Pro Bowl, that $7M he’ll pull down this season (the Jets picked up the fifth-year option on Wilkerson’s rookie deal from 2011, agreeing to pay him the average of the third-to-25th highest DT salaries) isn’t close to the NFL’s worst salary affront.

Wilkerson’s shot across the Jets’ bow is likely more about the team slapping down money for free agents at a breakneck pace while making him wait his turn.

Revis – on the brink of 30 – is making $16M in fully guaranteed salary this year and $17M in fully guaranteed salary next year. Consider how that looks to a player like Wilkerson who made $6.875M over the first four years of his deal and is – at least at the moment – playing without a net on a one-year agreement.

Every player in the league looks forward to getting off his rookie contract and realizing the higher salaries and guaranteed money the second contract brings.

The Jets have money available to spend on a homegrown player entering his prime. But they haven’t shown the same urgency to appease him that they did in lusting after Revis.

It’s no surprise Wilkerson’s working out on his own.

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