The Las Vegas Raiders have agreed to sign Miami Dolphins star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
It’s a four-year, $110 million deal that features $84 million in guaranteed money.
Wilkins was one of the top defensive players on the market, so this is a massive pickup for a Raiders club that has dedicated a whole lot of time to defense ever since Antonio Pierce took over as head coach midway through this past season.
Wilkins is coming off of a spectacular 2023 campaign in which he played every game and racked up 65 tackles, nine sacks, a forced fumble and a couple of fumble recoveries.
The 28-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Clemson, was selected by the Dolphins with the 13th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft.
He appeared in every contest during his rookie year, finishing with 56 tackles, a pair of sacks and a fumble recovery. He took a small step back the following season, logging 47 tackles and 1.5 sacks, but then, in 2021, Wilkins broke out, rattling off 89 stops, 4.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
The Framingham, Ma. native continued to show growth in 2022, registering 98 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and six passes defended.
Wilkins then completely busted out this past season, particularly as a pass rusher.
He was initially known for his ability to stuff the run, but he has now developed into a sack artist in addition to is run-stopping capabilities.
Las Vegas entered free agency with considerable cap room, so even with this huge deal it just handed to Christian Wilkins, it still has a fair amount of money left over to dedicate to other free agents.
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