Veteran defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson signed a one-year deal with the Packers last offseason to rebuild his value.
Now, after having his ankle rebuilt, he’s hoping to do it again.
Wilkerson told Michael Cohen of The Athletic that he’s hoping to return to Green Bay for another year after his first season there lasted three games. He suffered a compound fracture of his left ankle, including ligament damage, in a game at Washington.
He’s still in the process of rehabbing after two surgeries to repair the injury, but made it clear he wanted to continue playing.
“I still love the game,” he said. “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. 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.”
The 29-year-old would prefer to do that in Green Bay, where he was eager to reunite with former Jets coach Mike Pettine last year.
“I like it here a lot,” Wilkerson said. “I came here to prove that I can play at a high level and that was cut short. But that’s how the game goes sometimes. I definitely want to get another shot to show what I can do. . . .
“I’m going to speak things into existence and say that we’ll be fine here in Green Bay.”
Whether General Manager Brian Gutekunst agrees remains to be seen, but Wilkerson’s ready to try to prove himself all over again.
