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The Tennessee Titans will end up with Muhammad Wilkerson

By Will Lomas

Nov 2, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles (25) is tackled by New York Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson (96) during the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 2, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles (25) is tackled by New York Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson (96) during the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /
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So far Tennessee Titans fans are happy with Jon Robinson, and they have absolutely every right to be. The guy has come in and done nothing but great things, including his most recent move of trading the first pick in the 2016 NFL Draft to gain a ton of draft capitol.

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He has done everything he has said he was going to do so far, strengthening the team in key areas like wide receiver, cornerback, safety, center, and offensive tackle. So, I think we can take him at his word and trust that he will do what he says.

One of the things he has said repeatedly is that he wants to build a physical, imposing bully in Tennessee. He thinks that an identity of physicality will lead to a better football team and I agree. One way to do that is to take some of that great draft capitol and trade for one of the best defensive linemen in the league: Muhammad (Mo) Wilkerson.

The first question is, why would the New York Jets trade him? Well, he is unhappy with how his contract has been handled there and feels like he should be paid very well instead of kept in New York with the franchise tag.

So, if the Titans were willing to pay him then there should be no issue with him coming to Nashville.

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    • What would it cost?

    Well, the Jets beat writer Manish Mehta described it like this in his mailbag just a few weeks ago:

    “As I’ve maintained for the better part of a year, the Jets would love to trade Wilkerson for a first-round pick, but they haven’t been able to find any takers yet willing to dole out suitable draft-pick compensation and pay Wilkerson the $40+ million in guarantees that he desires in a long-term deal.”

    So there are two separate costs to look at, one realistic and the other not so much. We will start with how to make Wilkerson happy.

    Contract break down

    $40+ million guaranteed is fine, that is exactly what he should be compensated. Let’s go ahead and give him the same contract as Malik Jackson: 6 years/$90 million with $42 guaranteed.

    Well, you may ask is he worth it? Well, Jackson was “worth it” on the open market and let’s look at their career stats:

    Malik Jackson: 26 years old, 4 years in the league, 33.5 tackles per year, and 3.5 sacks per year

    Mo Wilkerson: 26 years old, 5 years in the league 50 tackles per year, 7.2 sacks per year

    So on paper Wilkerson is a steal at that price and it signs him through the 2021 season when he will just be 32 years old.

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    The pick

    Well, the asking price has been out there for weeks and apparently no one is biting and giving up a 1st round pick. With the talk ramping up that he wants to be somewhere else badly, it makes sense that the Jets will probably come off of their asking price.

    In fact, I expect that the Jets will only be getting 3rd round offers (the standard for players asking out of a place) which gives the Titans a distinct advantage here. If that is the case then they could do several things:

    -They could offer to trade both 3rd round picks this year for Wilkerson and a 4th round pick.

    -They could offer a late 2nd round pick which would be higher than most other people knowing the financial impact hanging over their head.

    -They could offer to deal a 3rd this year and a 3rd next year given that they have the ammunition to do that without really giving anything up.

    There are several options outside of that that could even make sense. The point is, with all the ammunition between this year’s 2nd and 3rd round picks and their 2nd round picks in 2017 they can easily make this trade happen.

    While I don’t think 5-tech is a huge need, I believe that if you want to build an imposing defense then Wilkerson could be a key piece in it both in the short term and in the long term.

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