Peter King of Sports Illustrated and The MMQB published a tick-tock of how defensive end Olivier Vernon's megadeal with the Giants got done. The story was told from the perspective of Vernon's agent, David Canter, who said the Jets were in the mix for Vernon until close to the end.
According to King, the Jets were willing to give Vernon a five-year deal--the same max length the Giants gave him. But the Jets dropped out of the running after Vernon's annual price tag climbed above $15 million.
The Jets need an edge rusher--it's their biggest priority this offseason, after keeping Ryan Fitzpatrick (at the right price)--but their interest in Vernon raises a huge question: Do the Jets have a possible trade partner lined up for Muhammad Wilkerson? Or did they?
Consider: The Jets have very little salary-cap space, and they've already committed $15.7 million to Wilkerson by franchising him. They likely would want to play Vernon--a 4-3 defensive end with his previous team, the Dolphins, where he worked with Jets defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers--as a 3-4 edge rusher. Leonard Williams and Sheldon Richardson could then man the end spots. It would have been formidable, had it come to pass.
But unless the Jets are prepared to make some major unforeseen cuts elsewhere, the only logical way this could have happened financially is if Wilkerson were to be moved. Now what?
Dom Cosentino may be reached at dcosentino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @domcosentino. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.