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Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Christian Wilkins in 2024.
Almost 1 year has passed since the Las Vegas Raiders unceremoniously dumped superstar defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, and the 1 thing anyone has yet to find out is exactly why it all went down the way that it did.
There are a lot of wild rumors. There’s a lot of speculation. But an actual accounting of what happened … we haven’t seen that yet.
What we do know is that the former 1st-round pick’s reputation has been thoroughly trashed. In the process, he’s seen what was once a promising career stop dead in its tracks.
All of that put together might mean the time is now for the Dallas Cowboys — a franchise with a reputation of giving 2nd chances only 2nd to the Raiders — ends up being where Wilkins gets another shot at playing in the NFL.
Bn this case, with Wilkins having already been released out of the 4-year, $110 million free agent contract he signed in March 2024, the financial impact for the Cowboys would be minimal.
The PR impact might be another story altogether.
“One day, whatever Christian Wilkins did in that locker room is gonna come to the surface and this app is gonna be something truly incredible to witness,” The Kevin Harlan Effect wrote on its official X account on Thursday.
It begs the question — what exactly did Wilkins do? And why is it preventing him from playing in the NFL again?
Why Did Raiders Cut Ties With Christian Wilkins?
Wilkins was released by the Las Vegas Raiders on July 24 over a “breach of contract” and with $35.2 million in guaranteed money remaining on the 4-year, $110 million contract he signed with the Raiders in March 2024.
Wilkins missed the final 12 games of the 2024 season with a Jones fracture in his left foot, meaning he will end up bringing home an incredible $55.5 million for playing just 5 games for the Raiders.
He filed a grievance with the NFL Players Association over his release and the remaining guaranteed money in his contract — the Raiders claim the release was triggered by the manner in which Wilkins rehabbed his foot injury — there was nothing to seemingly prevent him from signing with another team in 2025. Didn’t happen.
On the field, Wilkins has been unstoppable at times.
In his 1st 5 seasons with the Miami Dolphins, he had 17-game averages of 74 tackles, 5.0 sacks, 9 TFL, and 11 QB hits. Those types of numbers are hard to come by.
Report: Christian Wilkins Tried to Kiss Teammate
The bigger issue with Wilkins seems like it might be how he would impact a locker room dynamic after a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter indicated an incident between Wilkins and a teammate may have also contributed, in part, to his release.
From ESPN: “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 … 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. A complaint was filed to the Raiders’ human resources department, which investigated the incident.”
Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame
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