Christian Wilkins on Miami Dolphins field – Photo: April Visuals/Shutterstock.com
Christian Wilkins’ tenure with the Miami Dolphins is now ended after he signed his massive deal on the open market.
Multiple reports state that Wilkins and the Las Vegas Raiders have agreed to terms on a four-year contract with a guaranteed $84.75 million and a base value of $110.
The Dolphins would not have needed to guarantee $5.5 million more if they had signed him to the franchise tag. Instead, the deal averages $27.5 million a year.
One bright spot for the Dolphins is that, based on his playing time and awards, Wilkins may yield a third-round compensatory choice in the 2025 NFL draft.
Not to mention, in 2024, when the Raiders are supposed to play in Miami, Wilkins will be at Hard Rock Stadium.
Wilkins will rejoin Patrick Graham, his first NFL defensive coordinator, who currently works in Las Vegas, with the Raiders. Additionally, Rob Leonard, the Raiders D-line coach, assisted the Dolphins from 2019 to 21.
Since the team and player couldn’t come to an agreement on a long-term contract extension last summer, Wilkins’ future has been a major talking point in the Dolphins community.
Wilkins’ contract position remained a concern for the team even after his “hold-in” at training camp ended. It was unclear whether the franchise tag would be used or if an extension could be negotiated after the previous season concluded.
Due to their tight cap position, the Dolphins were unable to tag Wilkins, and their inability to acquire players this offseason would have been greatly hampered by having to pay him the amount the Raiders ultimately offered him.
The team’s loss of a key player, the first significant addition since the rebuilding project began in 2019, and the defensive coordinator doesn’t make it any less depressing.
With the Dolphins, Wilkins only improved with each passing season, contributing a career-high nine sacks to his pass-rushing game to go along with his consistently strong run defense.
There will undoubtedly be a significant gap in the middle of the defensive line after his departure, especially considering how productive and very durable he was.
Wilkins only missed two games in his five seasons with the Dolphins, and both of those were in 2020 due to his placement on the COVID-19 list.
Wilkins also participated in over 80% of the defensive snaps in each of the previous two seasons, which is extremely impressive for an interior defensive lineman.
In other words, Wilkins fulfilled every need for the type of player the Dolphins would have preferred in the long run, therefore this mattered more about positional value, cap considerations, and long-term strategy.
In the end, Christian Wilkins has finished his five-year career with the Miami Dolphins.
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Born and raised in South Florida, Krystal is a recent graduate from the University of Miami with professional writing experience at the collegiate and national news outlet levels. She’s a foodie who loves all things travel, the beach, & visiting new places throughout Florida.