Major news broke on Thursday night, as the Las Vegas Raiders announced they released DT Christian Wilkins. Wilkins and the Raiders parted ways due to a dispute about his health, more specifically the Jones fracture he suffered in his left foot in October. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Wilkins was released with the designation of “terminated vested veteran.”
Ryan McFadden dove into the specifics behind Wilkins’ release here: “Wilkins has been recovering from a Jones fracture, which he suffered in his left foot last October. Because of how Wilkins has treated the rehab from his injury, the Raiders voided the remaining $35.2 million of guaranteed money left on his contract on June 4, sources said. The belief was that Wilkins needed another surgery on his foot; he balked at getting it, sources told ESPN. The Raiders then voided the guaranteed money left on his deal due to ‘failure to maintain his physical condition to play.'”
While Wilkins may not be ready for Week 1, he’ll certainly have suitors waiting to sign him when he’s healthy. One of those teams seems to be the New England Patriots, as head coach Mike Vrabel revealed they’ll have a conversation with Wilkins and kick the tires on a potential signing.
“This is something that’s pretty new so I don’t have all the information on where Christian is. I know Christian. I recruited him when he was up in the area in Connecticut and going to high school. So, I’m sure we’ll have a conversation.”
Wilkins is just two years removed from a nine-sack campaign in 2023 with the Miami Dolphins. Once his time ended there, he landed a four-year, $110 million deal, with $84.75 million guaranteed with the Raiders. He ended up playing in five games, totaling 17 tackles, 2 sacks and 6 quarterback hits.
If the Patriots end up with Wilkins, their defensive line would be nasty. A big three of Milton Williams, Christian Wilkins and Christian Barmore would terrorize opposing offensive lines in 2025.