Kansas City Chiefs: Muhammad Wilkerson visiting team today

By Britt Zank | Mar 11, 2018

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 26: Quarterback Cam Newton /

Former New York Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson is making his way around the league this week. Yesterday he maked a stop with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Bob Sutton returning as defensive coordinator in 2018 means the Chiefs desperately need to rebuild their defensive line. Chris Jones is the only for sure returning starter on what was a poor defensive line in 2017. Bennie Logan is a free agent and Allen Bailey would save the Chiefs $6 million on the cap if he was cut.

This means there could be two holes to fill on the defensive line and they can’t be filled with just regular guys. The way Sutton runs a defensive he has to have a great defensive line that can get pressure on the QB and shut down the running game on their own. Wilkerson would make a good step forward for the Chiefs in building that type of defensive line.

Wilkerson was drafted by the Jets in first round of the 2011 draft. The 6’4 315 pound defensive end from Temple made an immediate impact in the league. He started all 16 games recording 69 tackles, five sacks and returned one fumble for a touchdown. He’s been a strudy force on the Jets defensive line every since.

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Over his seven year career with the Jets he averages 58 tackles and just over six sacks per season. That stat line would surpass any defensive lineman in the Andy Reid era.

Wilkerson is not a perfect player though as he comes with some off the field baggage. He’s been involved in multiple fights with opponents and ran a foul of the coaching Jets coaching staff. Wilkerson was known to show up late for team meetings or even skip them entirely. With the Chiefs recent trade of Marcus Peters, the team doesn’t seem to work well with players who disrespect coaches.

But this isn’t a normal coaching staff in the media capital of the world. This is Reid’s staff known to work well with problem players. If you can’t make it with Reid than it’s hard to imagine you making it anywhere, which is probably why Peters received few offers. So while Wilkerson has had issues with the Jets, the Chiefs would have to believe that he could fall in line under Reid.

If he can fall in line than the only thing holding the Chiefs back from offering him a contract would be the price tag. Wilkerson is coming off a year in which he was the highest paid 3-4 defensive end in the league at $17 million per season. While his off the field issues are a red flag, he maintained his play on the field meaning he won’t be in the mood to take much of a pay cut.

It’s safe to say a deal for Wilkerson would be somewhere around the $12 to $14 million per season mark. But he is taking many visit and a bidding war between multiple teams could see that number go up even further. At that point the question is what is your salary limit for Wilkerson. I think if you can get him for $12 to $13 million per year the Chiefs should sign that deal as soon as possible. If the number gets over $15 million I think it would be safer to walk away.

Wilkerson is a great player and would be a massive upgrade to the Chiefs defense. There are only two questions for the Chiefs on Wilkerson; do you think you can control him and is he worth the price? If they answer yes to both of those questions than he should be a Chief the second the league year starts. If they answer no to either one of those, than it’s probably time to start looking elsewhere.

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