Muhammad Wilkerson hasn't finished his playing days quite yet, and he knows exactly where he wants his career to continue.
The two-time All-Pro signed a one-year, $4.7 million deal with the Green Bay Packers last season following his unceremonious departure from the New York Jets. He was released by New York last February after two largely inconsequential seasons, middling performance made extra frustrating due to the massive five-year contract he signed with the team in 2016.
Few expected Wilkerson to regain the level of play with Green Bay that made him one of the league's most versatile defensive lineman during his prime, but he was still supposed to be an important part of the team's rotation along the defensive front. Instead, Wilkerson missed all but three games of the 2018 season after suffering torn ligaments in his right ankle, an injury that ultimately required two surgeries.
Now a free agent, the 29-year-old continues to rehab in hopes of gaining a clean bill of health before training camp, which he wants to embark on with the Packers.
“I still love the game. I feel like once I get to that point where I’m questioning myself or I feel like I don’t want to do this, then it’s time to walk away,” Wilkerson said in an interview with The Athletic's Michael Cohen. “But I’m still getting up every day rehabbing, working. I got my mindset on what I need to do, what I want to do once I’m able to get to certain parts of my rehab. I still love the game and I still love to play, definitely.
“I’m going to speak things into existence and say that we’ll be fine here in Green Bay,” he continued.
It's unclear what Wilkerson will be capable of on the playing field once he's cleared to play. Any team needing depth along the defensive line, though, could certainly do worse than a wily veteran with his wealth of playing experience.
Follow Us
Subscribe