Getty Tom Telesco & Antonio Pierce of the Las Vegas Raiders.
The biggest move the Las Vegas Raiders made this offseason was signing defensive tackle Christian Wilkins to a four-year, $110 million contract. It was a steep price to pay but Wilkins cemented himself as one of the defensive tackles in the NFL last season and had 9.0 sacks.
The Raiders now have a top defensive lineman to pair with star defensive end Maxx Crosby. However, not everybody is on board with the signing. Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report predicted that the team would come to regret paying Wilkins.
“The 28-year-old Wilkins isn’t a game-changer,” Gagnon wrote in a June 19 column. “He’s never been an All-Pro of any kind or even a Pro Bowler, he’s never posted an approximate value in the double digits, and he’s never had a campaign with 10 sacks or more than two forced fumbles. And yet he’ll count more than $30 million against the cap in 2025, 2026 and 2027.”
Pro Football Focus previously ranked Wilkins as the 10th-best defensive tackle in the NFL. That may not be high enough to warrant $27.5 million a year but he’s clearly not a scrub. Plus, Wilkins should only be better now that he’s playing on a defensive line that is stacked with good talent like Crosby, Malcolm Koonce and Tyree Wilson.
Christian Wilkins Impressing Las Vegas Raiders
It’s always possible the Raiders will eventually regret Wilkins’s contract but any regret hasn’t seeped in yet. The veteran defensive tackle is impressing the team early on with his work ethic and athleticism.
“He’s a worker, so I love having guys that are like-minded around,” Crosby said during his June 11 media availability. “So, it’s been a hell of a start so far. We have a lot of work to do. But yeah, we’re just (feeding) off each other’s energy. We love football and that’s really all that matters.”
Head coach Antonio Pierce is liking what he’s seeing from Wilkins, as well.
“The other day, we went over to the [Las Vegas] Aces, played a little basketball, little team bonding,” Pierce said during the Raiders’ June 10 media day. “You know who the best player was? Christian Wilkins. Not even close. We’re all sitting there like, ‘What in the world is this?’ 300-pound man dunking. … But more importantly, the love, the leadership, the passion, the desire to win.”
Early signs point to Wilkins being a major impact player for the Raiders.
Christian Wilkins Excited to Play With Maxx Crosby
An underrated aspect about Wilkins is that he has a work ethic that rivals Crosby’s. He’s going to put in the work to try and ensure the Raiders don’t end up regretting paying him. He’s been a fan of Crosby for a long time and he’s excited about what the two can do now that they’re on a team together.
“I’ve known Maxx for a long time, since college. But seeing it up close and personal each and every day, it’s like, ‘Damn, this guy doesn’t stop,’” Wilkins said during his June 12 media availability. “He’s about the right stuff, and that’s good to see. So that even challenges me, just mentally, every day, like, ‘Alright, I have to bring it because I know he’s going to bring it,’ and vice versa. We kind of feed off each other there.”