The Miami Dolphins have lost their prized asset Christian Wilkins in free agency to the Las Vegas Raiders on a $110-million four-year deal.
It was a move that was very much expected after GM Chris Grier couldn’t get an extension done before the 2023 season, but it’s an outcome that could have serious ramifications for the Dolphins competitiveness next season.
Dolphins again won’t pay their own
It’s another example of Grier refusing to pay Miami’s own free agents despite being willing to pay massive contracts to other teams players. Wilkins finished 13th in the NFL in pass-rush win rate despite being double teamed on 65% of his snaps.
While many fans ignore that Wilkins was double teamed the Raiders clearly see the benefit of pairing him with Max Crosby and seeing how teams adjust to having to double-team two players along the line.
Wilkins finished up the ’23 season ninth on the team in tackles, 4th on stops, and 3rd on total snaps played. He will be a massive loss for the Dolphins defence and new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.
While the Dolphins will look to replace Wilkins in free agency, they are not expected to have much money to spend so expect aging players with injury history or backups that Miami will hope to be able to pull career seasons out of.
Wilkins impact as a team player and leader on the team, often cited for his immense impact in the locker room and on morale, will be a loss for the Dolphins. Whilst this is something the coaches say is important to camera, it’s clearly not as important as other considerations.
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