July 25, 2025 | 11:10 AM
FOXBOROUGH – Christian Wilkins, a Massachusetts native who posted nine sacks with the Dolphins in 2023, was recently released by the Raiders.
The Patriots will look into his availability, coach Mike Vrabel told reporters Tuesday.
“I think we’ll have a conversation. This is pretty new, so I don’t have all the information on where Christian is. I’ve known Christian, recruited him when he was up here in the area in Connecticut in high school, so I’m sure we’ll have a conversation.”
Wilkins began his high school career at Framingham High, before transferring to Suffield Academy in Connecticut where he was a four-star recruit. ESPN ranked him as the No. 32 prospect in the nation for the Class of 2015.
Vrabel was an assistant coach at Ohio State in 2013, when Wilkins was a sophomore. Ohio State was one of Wilkins’s top choices, but he ultimately signed with Clemson.
The Dolphins selected Wilkins in the first round, No. 13 overall, in the 2019 NFL draft. He signed a four-year $110 million deal with the Raiders last offseason.
According to ESPN, Las Vegas released him and voided $35.2 million of guaranteed money that was left on his contract because of the way he handled his rehab process from a fractured bone in his left foot.
The team reportedly believed that he needed an additional surgery to repair the injury, but Wilkins “balked” at getting it.
“We have decided that it is in the best interests of the organization to move on from Christian Wilkins and he has been informed of his release from the team,” the Raiders said in a statement.
“This franchise has a commitment of excellence on and off the field. With no clear path or plan for future return to play from Christian, this transaction is necessary for the entire organization to move forward and prepare for a new season.”
The NFLPA has filed a grievance on Wilkins’s behalf, and the process is still playing out.
Wilkins missed all but five games last season. He posted 17 tackles and two sacks. The sack total tied his career-low, and he had never posted less than 47 tackles before last season.
Wilkins spent five seasons with the Dolphins, and was a mainstay on Miami’s defensive line. He is coming off of a significant injury, but the Patriots seem interested enough to discuss the possibility of bringing him in.
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