Wilkins in 'Midst of Long, Challenging Process' with Raiders

Christian Wilkins is perhaps the Miami Dolphins' most significant free agent departure of the past 10 years, but he's continuing to deal with adversity as a member of the Las Vegas Raiders.

While the team goes through OTAs under new head coach Pete Carroll, Wilkins continues to be sidelined as he recovers from the Jones fracture in his foot that cut short his 2024 season.

“Every day he’s here early, working hard, but,” Carroll told reporters this week. “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.

Through no fault of his own, Wilkins has yet to justify 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."

WHY THE DOLPHINS LET WILKINS WALK

Wilkins was a very good player for the Dolphins, even if he never made the Pro Bowl or was selected an All-Pro, but the truth is he never was a game-changing interior defensive lineman like Aaron Donald or Chris Jones or even his former Clemson teammate Dexter Lawrence.

Maybe Wilkins can deliver big plays for the Raiders in 2025, and it certainly won't hurt that his defensive line partner Maxx Crosby now has a massive new contract that's made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.

For the Dolphins, Wilkins' injury was painful in that it pushed down the compensatory pick they got for his free agent loss from a third-round selection to a fourth-rounder.

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