Jets’ Sheldon Richardson wants $100 million deal for Muhammad Wilkerson

In the NFL, the $100 million contract club is pretty special. And Sheldon Richardson thinks fellow New York Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson should be in it.

It’s not Richardson’s money to spend, but he told the New York Daily News that the six-year, $100 million contract Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt got isn’t good enough for his buddy. Wilkerson has been upset with his contract and skipped voluntary workouts, though he showed up for the Jets’ mandatory minicamp.

“He’s worth that penny,” Richardson told the Daily News in Richardson parlance. “And you know what penny I’m talking about. . . . We don’t just want J.J. Watt money. We want it all. We want (Ndamukong) Suh money. Hopefully everybody wants that type of bread in this league.”

Suh signed a six-year, $114 million deal with the Miami Dolphins this offseason.

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Does Wilkerson belong in the nine-figure club? He’s clearly not in Watt’s class, because nobody is. It’s arguable if he’s in the same class as Suh. Wilkerson is good against the pass and the run and is a very valuable 3-4 end, but $100 million needs to be reserved for a perennial All-Pro. Richardson thinks Wilkerson is in that class, comparing him favorably to Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, who got a seven-year, $98 million deal.

“Why wouldn’t he?” Richardson said. “If Gerald McCoy can get $100 million, I’m pretty sure my guy Mo Wilkerson can get $100 million.”

Richardson, who is similarly talented to Wilkerson, is also laying the groundwork for his own big extension soon, though someone should explain to him that no team is going to be able to afford two $100 million defensive linemen. And when the Jets drafted USC defensive end Leonard Williams with the sixth overall pick, it was probably an indication that either Muhammad or Richardson won’t be in New York for the long haul.

We’ll see where Wilkerson’s contract situation goes from here. But he has found a pretty good agent in his teammate on the Jets’ defensive line.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab