Wild Wilkins Situation Coming Out of Las Vegas

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Raiders were not pleased with the rehabilitative process Wilkins has been undergoing for the season-ending foot injury he sustained last season. When training camp opened this week, Wilkins was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list.

"Due to how Wilkins treated the rehab from his foot injury he suffered last season, the Raiders voided the remaining $35.2 million of guaranteed money left on Wilkins contract last month and today," Schefter said. "Wilkins filed a grievance with the NFLPA."

The Raiders initially believed that Wilkins would be back in time for spring workouts, but it did not turn out that way. He supposedly suffered an unexpected setback in his rehab that not only cost him the entire offseason program, but had him placed on the PUP list on Wednesday,

The team is now looking to minimize its losses with Wilkins, and is voiding the balance of his contract due to the way he treated the injury.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Wilkins already has received $20 million of his $57.5 million guarantee, which was part of his five-year, $110 million contract he signed last summer.

"The Raiders decided they are not moving forward with Christian Wilkins," Rapoport said on NFL Network. "The team wanted him to have surgery on his foot and he declined. He also declined several medical opinions. He just wanted to rehab the injury."

WILKINS' LOST OFFSEASON

In late June, Wilkins was shown in an Instagram story of another former Dolphins player, Kyle Van Noy, from his Van Noy Valor Foundation Golf Tournament in Utah.

Wilkins was in a walking boot, a residual effect from the Jones fracture in his left foot that cut short his 2024 season with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Per the Cleveland Clinic, a Jones fracture occurs "when you break your fifth metatarsal — the bone that joins your pinkie toe to the base of your foot."

Before that, Wilkins was sidelined for the entire offseason program as he continues to work his way back from the injury.

“Every day he’s here early, working hard, but,” Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said at the time. “He’s not ready to get back out. We’re in the midst of a long, challenging process. Fortunately, there’s a lot of time, and we’re going to take every bit of it. We’ve really tried to be really diligent in the way we’ve worked it and the way we’ve wanted it and all that, and he’s been on board the whole time. But it has been challenging.”

According to The Athletic, Wilkins had to be put in a walking boot again earlier this offseason after earlier having it removed. The boot first went on after Wilkins was injured during an October game against the Denver Broncos.

Because of his injury, Wilkins was limited to five games with Las Vegas last season, finishing with two sacks and six QB hits. One of his sacks occurred in the game where he was injured.

Because of the injury, Wilkins wasn't able to start justifying the Raiders signing him to a massive four-year, $112 million contract during the 2024 offseason and has validated the Dolphins' decision not to give him that kind of contract.

In a Sports Illustrated story published on the five worst free agent contract signings of 2024, Wilkins made the list at number 5.

"It's somewhat unfair to put Wilkins on the list, considering so much of the disappointment surrounding his 2024 season is because of a foot injury that limited him to five games," reporter Matt Verderame wrote. "Still, the Raiders doled out $110 million, including $82.75 million guaranteed over four years. Those numbers were only eclipsed by Kirk Cousins in free agency, and not approached by any other defensive player. In the five games he played, Wilkins totaled two sacks and 11 solo tackles. If Wilkins can come back and rebound in his age-29 season, perhaps the contract won't prove to be a bust. However, if he's not fantastic in 2025, his pact could be another regret for the Raiders."

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