All Dolphins Podcast Preview: Should Wilkins Be Paid Like an Elite Defender?

Episode 6 of the All Dolphins Podcast will drop — to use the lingo — sometime Monday morning and one of the topics covered will be the contract status of defensive tackle Christian Wilkins.

The 2019 first-round pick, who is scheduled to play on the $10.75 million fifth-year option on his rookie contract, is coming off two impressive seasons.

All Dolphins Publisher Alain Poupart and longtime Dolphins columnist Omar Kelly discussed Wilkins' contract situation in the aftermath of the long-time extension signed by Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.

POUPART: "Speaking of big contracts, big contract given out to Jeffery Simmons and Jeffery Simmons is an interior defensive lineman. Christian Wilkins plays D-end in a 3-4 but is kind of a similar type of position, and don't think Christian Wilkins' agent is not looking at that contract and going, oh yeah, cha-ching."

KELLY: "Yeah, absolutely, no question about it."

POUPART: "So how much more difficult do you think that's going to make the Dolphins being able to get Wilkins signed to a contract extension? Are we at the point now where ... are they not going to give them a contract extension?

KELLY: "Nah. It would benefit you if you wanted to use the money to spend to extend him. However we've gotten this far in free agency, we're gonna get back Byron Jones' money. There's no need to extend him right now. And, to be honest — and I'm going to be honest and completely transparent — is Christian Wilkins Jeffery Simmons? Is he even close to Jeffery Simmons?

POUPART: "Had a great year last year."

KELLY: Christian has had a great two years, but is the impact player, do (offensive) coordinators say, 'Man, that Christian Wilkins, he's gonna keep me up for the whole week. Does anybody say that?"

POUPART: "No."

KELLY: "OK. I didn't like when people said oh, (Jeffery Simmons), Quinnen Williams, those are going to set the bar for Christian Wilkins. What? Christian Wilkins is a $10, $11 million a year player. He should be paid what he's getting on his fifth-year contract."

For the rest of the Wilkins discussion and other topics, make sure to check out the Episode 6 podcast when it's released.

You can follow Alain Poupart on Twitter at @PoupartNFL and Omar Kelly at @OmarKelly.