Twelve months ago, the Las Vegas Raiders made defensive tackle Christian Wilkins one of the highest-paid defenders in the league with a huge deal in free agency.
One year later, the two have parted ways. The Raiders have released Wilkins, they announced Thursday night on social media, one year into the five-year, $110 million deal they signed him to last offseason.
Wilkins suffered a Jones fracture in his foot in Week 5 against the Denver Broncos last season and missed the rest of the year. He had surgery to repair the fracture and was placed on the reserve/PUP list on July 18.
Less than a week later, the franchise released him.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Wilkins and the Raiders disagreed on another surgery to repair his foot. Las Vegas reportedly wanted him to have that done while Wilkins declined.
‘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,’ the Raiders said in a statement. ‘The 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.’
Las Vegas has already paid Wilkins nearly $22 million of the $57 million in guaranteed money included in his contract signed last offseason. The Raiders voided the remaining $35.2 million of his contract in June, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, but Wilkins has filed a grievance with the NFL Players’ Association over that.
Raiders DT depth chart
With Wilkins now out, here’s a look at the rest of the depth chart at defensive tackle for Las Vegas:
- Adam Butler
- Leki Fotu
- Zach Carter
- Tonka Hemingway
- JJ Pegues
- Jonah Laulu
- Tank Booker
- Treven Ma’ae
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.