Wilkins Lands Monster Deal with Raiders
Christian Wilkins indeed got his monster contract on the open market, and his time with the Miami Dolphins is over.
Wilkins has agreed to terms with the Las Vegas Raiders on a four-year with a $110 base value that includes $84.75M guaranteed, per multiple reports.
The deal averages $27.5 million annually, $5.5 million more than the Dolphins would have had to guarantee had they signed him to the franchise tag.
If there's one positive note for the Dolphins, it's that Wilkins very well could produce a third-round compensatory pick in the 2025 NFL draft depending on his playtime and accolades.
It also should be noted that Wilkins will make an appearance at Hard Rock Stadium in 2024 with the Raiders scheduled to play in Miami.
With the Raiders, Wilkins will be reunited with his first NFL defensive coordinator, Patrick Graham, who is in the same role in Las Vegas. In addition, Raiders D-line coach Rob Leonard was a Dolphins assistant from 2019-21.
WILKINS' STICKY SITUATION
What would happen with Wilkins became a hot topic involving the Dolphins since last summer when team and player weren't able to agree on a long-term contract extension.
Even when Wilkins ended his training camp "hold-in," his contract status remained a cloud over the franchise and the question became whether the team could work out an extension after last season ended and whether the team would use the franchise tag.
The Dolphins' sticky cap situation made it difficult to tag Wilkins and paying him what the Raiders ended up giving him would have severely hindered their ability to sign players this offseason.
It doesn't make it less disappointing for the team to lose a foundational piece, the first real addition at the start of the rebuilding project in 2019 and the leader of the defense.
Wilkins did nothing but get better every year for the Dolphins, complementing his always solid run defense with pass-rushing impact to the tune of a career-high nine sacks.
His departure clearly will leave a big void in the middle of the defensive line, particularly since in addition to being productive, he also was immensely durable.
In his five seasons with the Dolphins, Wilkins missed only two games, both in 2020 and both because he went on the COVID-19 list.
Furthermore, Wilkins played more than 80 percent of the defensive snaps each of the past two seasons, a remarkable feat for an interior defensive lineman.
Put simply, Wilkins checked all the boxes for the kind of player the Dolphins would have wanted for the long term and this became an issue of cap decisions, positional value and long-term planning.
Bottom line is Christian Wilkins is done with the Miami Dolphins after five seasons.
