Getty Images

As the Jets open the offseason program without franchise-tagged defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson, they reportedly would like to use Wilkerson as the ticket to getting in position to draft a franchise quarterback. But the process is much more complicated than simply swapping Wilkerson and the 20th overall pick for a spot in the top 10.

Wilkerson can’t be traded unless and until he signs the franchise tender. And he won’t be signing the franchise tender before July 15 (if then) unless an acceptable long-term deal comes with it. If the Jets won’t be giving it to him, his new team will need to be willing to do so.

Would Wilkerson be willing at this point to do a long-term deal driven by the $15.7 million franchise tag, or would he want something that reflects market value? Those negotiations would need to be completed before a trade can be accomplished.

So the Jets need to find a trade partner and work out an acceptable deal with that team. That team would then have to work out an acceptable long-term contract with Wilkerson.

It’s not the kind of thing that is conducive to pulling the various threads together while the team trading down is on the clock. It’s the kind of thing that requires plenty of work in advance — work that ultimately would be wasted if the quarterback the Jets covet is gone before the higher pick could be used.

The only viable approach, then, would be to work everything out ahead of time, with the understanding that the trade would happen only if the quarterback the Jets want is available. From a mechanical standpoint, the key ingredient becomes getting Wilkerson to sign the tender. For him, the worst outcome would be signing the tender and having the trade not go through.

It can still happen. The point is that it won’t nearly as easy as packaging up draft picks and shipping them elsewhere.