Las Vegas Raiders will regret free-agent deal, says NFL analyst

The Las Vegas Raiders made a humongous free-agent splash in March, signing defensive tackle Christian Wilkins to a four-year, $110 million contract.

The former Clemson Tiger is one of the better defensive tackles in the NFL and had a career season in 2023. Wilkins posted a career-high nine sacks and 58 QB pressures and played all 17 games for a third consecutive season.

Though Wilkins is expected to be a pivotal piece to Las Vegas’ defense in 2024, Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon believes general manager Tom Telesco will regret handing the defensive tackle a big-money contract in free agency.

Here is what Gagnon had to say about Wilkins and why the Raiders might regret his $110 million contract:

The 28-year-old Wilkins isn’t a game-changer. 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.

Christian Wilkins is currently the third highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL, per Over the Cap. While his $110 million contract with $82.75 million guaranteed is an overpay, Wilkins is still in his prime and could take his game to another level this season.

The former Miami Dolphin will benefit from playing alongside Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce, as the two edge defenders will garner a lot of attention from offenses, leaving Wilkins in favorable one-on-one situations on the interior. The former first-round pick has always been a stout run defender but took a leap in the pass-rushing department last season.

Wilkins’ contract may look like an overpay now, but in a few years, the deal could look like a genius move by Telesco. Wilkins has a chance to establish himself as a game wrecker on the Raiders’ defensive line and form a dynamic duo with Maxx Crosby to take the defense to another level in 2024.

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A football fan who started his own website to talk about the Tennessee Titans, Dharya Sharma is an up-and-coming sports writer from Nebraska and has amassed over 1,300 followers on his Twitter talking Titans. Along with his duties on Sporting News, Dharya is the social media administrator for Locker Daily Fantasy Sports.