5 intriguing destinations for Christian Wilkins amid lingering health questions and ongoing contract dispute over guarantees

The stunning release of Christian Wilkins by the Las Vegas Raiders has massive ramifications on a number of fronts. First and foremost, Wilkins and the Raiders will need to have the dispute around his remaining guarantees sorted out — Las Vegas seems to believe they have a firm standing in voiding the rest of what Wilkins is owed just one year into a four-year, $110 million deal. 

Second, Wilkins' health and status needs to be cleared up. Is he actually close to being able to play this season? Is the foot that he injured in October of last year able to hold up for a season? Or is he doomed to miss another season of play in what would be a highly disappointing turn of events for what has been one of football's best interior defenders in recent years? 

If you assume Wilkins is able to pass a physical and if you assume that Wilkins ends up winning his grievance over his guarantees from Las Vegas, his courtship becomes a fascinating situation because he would be in position to play for the league minimum for a new team — he'll have already collected his funds from Las Vegas for 2025 and, technically, 2026.

Such a development would make any Christian Wilkins decision about playing football this year about fit, not finances. In that version of the multi-verse, any and every team in the league would be financially positioned to add his services because he'd be in position to have his cake (money, via the Raiders) and eat it, too (play elsewhere). Who are the teams that would most benefit from being able to add Wilkins to their ranks? 

Here are five teams who have the most obvious intersection of opportunity and fit.