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The Las Vegas Raiders signed defensive tackle Christian Wilkins to a four-year, $110 million deal in March 2024. They released him Thursday after claiming they don't have to pay him due to how he rehabbed a foot injury, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Wilkins has reportedly filed a grievance with the NFLPA in response.
The release comes after the Raiders reportedly voided the $35.2 million in guaranteed money left on his contract last month.
The Raiders confirmed the move in a statement in which they claimed there was "no clear path or plan for future return to play" from Wilkins.
The trouble began when Wilkins sustained a Jones fracture in his left foot in Week 5 of last season. The injury required surgery and knocked the 29-year-old out for the rest of the season. The issue was still bothering him as training camp began, with the Raiders placing him on the physically unable to perform list last week.
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Wilkins' timeline to return remained hazy up to Thursday. However, Raiders head coach Pete Carroll praised his effort in May:
“It’s been a difficult recovery and he’s done everything he needs to do,” Carroll said. “He’s been here every day. He’s here early working hard. 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 to be really diligent about the way we work.”
It's unclear what issue the Raiders exactly had with how Wilkins underwent his rehab.
Wilkins was a big get for the Raiders last offseason, joining the team after a standout fifth season with the Miami Dolphins in which he posted a career-high nine sacks. That $110 million deal was the second-largest among defensive tackles in NFL history in total money, guaranteed money and average annual value, behind only Chris Jones' mega-deal with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Wilkins was supposed to form a devastating pass-rush combo alongside Maxx Crosby, but the Raiders ended up ranking only 21st in the NFL in sacks, one of their many problems in a 4-13 season.
It is worth noting that the Raiders have changed leadership since signing Wilkins, going from head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco to Carroll and GM John Spytek. It wouldn't be a surprise if they weren't as interested in keeping Wilkins for the long term as their predecessors were.
Here's the salary cap hit the Raiders will take, per Pro Football Talk:
The move will create a cap charge of $17.925 million in 2025, with another $55.025 million hitting the cap in 2026.
That said, there’s already talk that the team believes Wilkins didn’t comply with his rehab plan. That could potentially avoid $8 million in 2025 salary, and another $25.25 million in 2026 salary. Obviously, however, there would be a legal fight over whether any effort to void his guarantees is justified.
