More Details Emerge on Ex-Raiders' Tenure

The Las Vegas Raiders made a shocking move last week, in their first week of training camp, when they released defensive tackle Christian Wilkins after only playing five games for the team. Wilkins was hurt in Week 5 of last season, and he did not play the rest of the 2024 season after suffering a foot injury.

This offseason, Wilkins was expected to be ready for Raiders training camp after rehabbing his football injury. But he kept having setups that kept pushing his return back. The Raiders has Raiders started their training camp they put him on the PUP list before they came out and released him.

The Raiders released a statement following the release of Wilkins.

We have decided that it is in the best interests of the organization to move on from Christian Wilkins and he has been informed of his release from the team. This franchise has a Commitment to Excellence on and off the field. With no clear path or plan for future return to play from Christian, this transaction is necessary for the entire organization to move forward and prepare for the new season.

"The Raiders not only released him, but they also did what they believed was within the parameters of the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) and voided his remaining money, including his $35.2 million remaining guaranteed money," said our Raiders beat writer Hondo Carpenter.

 "Wilkins disputes that his availability is in doubt and believes that he would be able to play. Wilkins has since filed a grievance with the NFLPA (National Football League Players Association)," added Carpenter.

But this week more headlines came out on other details about Wilkins' tenure, with ESPN's Adam Schefter revealing the information on Monday.

"Christian Wilkins, who was released by the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday, kissed a fellow player on the head and the teammate took offense to it," Schefter reported.

"Last week's incident happened inside a team meeting room. One source told ESPN that the interaction was "playful," but the teammate didn't see it that way. It's not known what the fellow player did following the incident," added Schefter. "The Raiders, through a team spokesperson, declined to comment.