DE Muhammad Wilkerson won't play in 'coach's decision'

New York Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson will be a healthy scratch for Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints, coach Todd Bowles announced Friday.

Wilkerson, who has a history of violating team rules, won't make the trip to New Orleans. Bowles called it a "coach's decision" and declined to say whether Wilkerson would be punished for more than one game.

"I'm worried about the guys I'm coaching," Bowles said. "I'm not worried about Mo."

A source told ESPN that Wilkerson was late to a team meeting Friday morning.

The former Pro Bowler had been benched for the first quarter of the Jets' Dec. 3 game against the Kansas City Chiefs because he showed up late for a meeting on the eve of the contest. He also was fined by the team.

It marked the third straight year that Wilkerson had been benched for a quarter for disciplinary reasons.

Bowles said he addressed the decision with his team Friday but wouldn't discuss what was said.

"He pretty much just said, our mission's still the same: 'One team, one goal,'" linebacker Demario Davis said of Bowles' message. "It's about the team, and we've got a big challenge in front of us on Sunday and that's what we're going to be focused on."

Wilkerson's future with the Jets is bleak. Since signing a five-year, $86 million contract in July 2016, he has produced only eight sacks in 28 games.

The Jets almost certainly will release him before March. If he is on the roster for the third day of the 2018 league year, his $16.75 million salary becomes fully guaranteed.

Wilkerson, a first-round pick in 2011, became an immediate starter for the Jets, peaking in 2015. In a contract year, he posted a career-high 12 sacks. The Jets used the franchise tag on Wilkerson, but the sides were able to hammer out a long-term agreement minutes before the July 15 deadline.

Since signing the contract, which made him the highest-paid player on the team, Wilkerson has been a nonfactor. By the end of this season, he will have made $37 million in the first two years of the deal.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.