Cam Newton Doesn’t Believe the Forehead Kissing Incident Was the Reason the Raiders Cut Christian Wilkins

After signing a four-year, $110 million deal with about $85 million in guarantees last March, Christian Wilkins seemed like he was entering an exciting new chapter of his career. However, just over a year into his stint in Sin City, things took a turn. He suffered a Jones fracture in his foot in Week 5 and missed the remainder of the 2024 season. By mid-July, he was released.

According to the Las Vegas Raiders, Wilkins was let go because they were unhappy with how he approached his rehab. That meant they released him with a “terminated vested veteran designation,” and they attempted to void over $35 million of his guaranteed dollars due to the rehab disagreement.

It was also alleged that an incident where Wilkins playfully kissed a teammate on top of the head—to which said teammate took offense—contributed to the defensive tackle’s awkward release from the team. However, Cam Newton is not buying that something as innocuous as that really factored into such a massive financial decision for the team.

“This is a perfect example of a team, a coach, an organization being fed up. If that was his only infraction, I guarantee that all the money that I got my name on—if that was his only offense? That’s not why he got released… That was the last straw, young man, and they DEFINITELY showed him. You wanna play a game? You played yourself out of 36 M&Ms, man!” Newton said.

By “M&Ms,” Newton is referring to the guaranteed money the team is trying to void as a result of Wilkins’ poor approach to rehabbing his foot injury. Wilkins ended up playing just five games overall for the Raiders, earning $49.7 million of his original contract. That’s about $10 million per game. Not a bad deal.

Jokes aside, it’s a shame to see such a messy NFL divorce. And while the team may come off as harsh, Newton noted that Wilkins also could have shown better judgment when interacting with his teammates, especially the one who reacted so negatively to his playful head smooch.

“One thing that I can’t stand most is people’s awareness. Like, there’s a time and a place for everything,” Newton expressed.

“But if we are serious and you’re still playin’, and jokin’, and snickerin’—and you’re talking to a guy that loves to have a good time. But even me, I know sometimes it’s like, ‘Okay, bro.’ … Somebody who plays too much? The couth? Where is your decorum? Where is your ability to read a room and identify and say, Hey, ‘Nah, I’m gonna keep that joke stashed for now. Maybe kissing another man ain’t—nah.'”