Christian Wilkins leaving Miami Dolphins in free agency

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The NFL might be expanding to 18 games... good move or bad move?

Tony Anderson asked Lorenzo Reyes and Safid Deen about how they feel about the NFL adding another game to the regular season.

The Dolphins are losing defensive tackle standout Christian Wilkins in free agency.

Wilkins, 28, had a career-high nine sacks in his fifth season with the Dolphins.

The Raiders are giving Wilkins four years, $110 million, with $84.75 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network.

That's a staggering $27.5 million per season.

Miami chose not to franchise tag Wilkins for one season at about $22 million due to extreme salary cap constraints.

The defensive tackle market exploded this offseason, with Justin Madbuike of the Ravens landing a four-year, $98 million contract.

That's $24.5 million per season.

Dolphins general manager Chris Grier felt the club and Wilkins were close on a long-team deal prior to the 2023 season, but it didn't get done.

Wilkins, the 13th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, was the first piece in Miami's dramatic tear-down-and-rebuild project.

Miami has added some strong talent, but still has zero playoff wins to show for it.

As the Dolphins' union representative, it was always unlikely Wilkins would leave any money on the table to stay with his original club.

NFL Free Agency: Christian Wilkins leaves hole for Dolphins

Miami is fortunate that they have strong defensive tackle Zach Sieler on the roster at 3 years, $31 million.

But they will need to add to the position in the draft or free agency.

Miami has already added defensive tackles Isaiah Mack and Daviyon Nixon, each of whom can compete for a roster spot.

Among the teams that were connected to Wilkins prior to the start of free agency: Houston, Minnesota, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland and San Francisco.

The Dolphins want to extend quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on a long-term deal.

They need to restructure some contracts in order to be under the salary cap before the deadline on Wednesday afternoon.

They may very well have holes to fill at guard, center, defensive line, linebacker and safety.

Christian Wilkins departure could mean NFL Draft pick

One potential positive in Wilkins' departure is it may result in a compensatory pick heading to Miami for the 2025 draft. Perhaps a third rounder.

But Wilkins is exactly the type of player teams chasing championships want on their roster.

Wilkins is hard working. He is competitive. He is tough.

But for Miami, he just would have cost too much.

Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.