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Christian Wilkins

Christian Wilkins Avoided Surgery On Second Foot Injury

July 29th, 2025 at 10:55pm CST by Ben Levine

Since Christian Wilkins was cut by the Raiders last week, we’ve heard a handful of explanations for the sudden divorce. Primarily, there was an apparent disagreement over the player’s handling and/or recovery from a foot injury. Later, we heard reports of a locker room incident where Wilkins reportedly kissed a teammate on the head, leading to an HR complaint.

[RELATED: Incident With Raiders Teammate May Have Triggered Christian Wilkins’ Release]

Now, we’re hearing that Wilkins may have been cut because of an entirely different foot injury than the Jones fracture that ended his 2024 campaign prematurely. According to Albert Breer of SI.com, the defensive tackle suffered another injury in the same foot that delayed his return to the field. That second injury has left Wilkins in a boot for months, but despite doctors’ suggestions that he should go under the knife, Wilkins has refused surgery.

That disagreement ultimately led to the deterioration of the relationship between the two sides. It’s uncertain how any suitors will handle this new injury, and Breer suggests that Wilkins could simply find a doctor who clears him to play football. The player could also stick it to his former club and undergo surgery after inking a contract, although that would mean his new team wouldn’t get his on-field production until at least the second half of the 2025 campaign.

Then, there’s the bizarre kissing incident. While this may seem innocuous on the surface, the Raiders may cite that incident as a reason for their decision to void Wilkins’ guaranteed money. As a source told Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Raiders could point to a “pattern of conduct” that culminated in this locker room ordeal. The writer also notes that Wilkins wasn’t cut with an injury designation despite being on the physically unable to perform list. That decision could point to the release being more about conduct than any injury.

Either way, Bonsignore expects Wilkins’ grievance to be a lengthy process, with the writer wondering if the dispute may not be resolved until next spring. The timing is of some importance to the Raiders. As Bonsignore notes, the Raiders will be slapped with a cap hold worth 40 percent of the “amount being grieved,” which comes out around $14.8MM. If the matter isn’t resolved until the spring, the Raiders may have to carry that cap hit into next year’s free agency.

If the Raiders did truly move on from Wilkins for conduct, it might not come as a surprise to some. According to Armando Salguero of Outkick.com, the player’s “unserious” approach to the game dates back to his time at Clemson, when he reportedly use to “grab opponents” in “private areas.” One scout once described the player as “irreverent,” and Salguero opines that the Raiders surely knew of his reputation when they handed him a lucrative contract last offseason.

Regardless of the reason for the release, Wilkins is now definitively out of Las Vegas and is seeking his next team. One team that won’t be involved in the bidding is the Giants, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic. While the organization pursued him hard via free agency in 2024, Duggan says there’s too much to unpack with “health, finances and whatever else is going on.” Meanwhile, the Patriots could have some interest in the defender, as Mike Vrabel told reporters that the organization will “have a conversation” about pursuing the free agent (per Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston).

Incident With Raiders Teammate May Have Triggered Christian Wilkins’ Release; DT Generating FA Interest

July 28th, 2025 at 12:37pm CST by Rory Parks

JULY 28: ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted during a Monday appearance on the Pat McAfee Show (video link) that Wilkins “playfully went to kiss a teammate on the top of his head,” citing multiple members of the organization. The teammate took issue with the act, which is presumably the one previously reported on. As Wilkins sorts out his free agent options, this incident will no doubt be a point of interest amongst potential suitors.

JULY 27: The reporting on the Raiders’ surprising decision to release defensive tackle Christian Wilkins has centered around the disagreement between the two sides as to Wilkins’ approach to his recovery from the foot injury that prematurely ended his 2024 season. However, that may not be the only factor.

Per Josina Anderson of The Exhibit, an unspecified incident with a teammate may have triggered the release. The team has not confirmed any such incident or complaint, though a league source confirmed to Anderson there was a situation in which Wilkins was “playing around.”

The source presumably offered no further details, and without more, it is impossible to even speculate as to what the alleged incident could have been. It is also natural to think that the Raiders, who are staring down the barrel of a historic dead money charge stemming from Wilkins’ release, may be attempting to bolster their chances of circumventing those salary cap ramifications.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who suggests that is the case, also discusses in a separate piece the difficulties Las Vegas could face if its argument that it properly voided Wilkins’ remaining guarantees is limited to the injury issue. Citing Article 39, Section 6 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Florio says Wilkins has the absolute right to a second opinion in medical matters. So, if the Raiders’ medical team wanted Wilkins to undergo a second operation on his foot, and if Wilkins’ decision to eschew surgery in favor of continued rehab was supported by a different doctor, then Vegas may not have a leg to stand on. Indeed, a league source told Anderson that Wilkins never received a documented write-up for behavioral matters.

Nonetheless, Anderson believes there may be some merit to the rumors regarding the incident with the teammate, because it otherwise does not make sense to cut a quality player at a seismic financial cost simply because of a disagreement over the best course of injury treatment (which is not necessarily an uncommon occurrence). It is also worth noting that, although Wilkins was placed on the active/PUP list on July 18, his release did not come with a failed physical designation (via veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer).

That is not to mention the comment head coach Pete Carroll made in May affirming Wilkins had been doing everything he needed to do in order to get back on the field, which Anderson posits is further support for the notion that there is something else at play other than Wilkins’ health. On the other hand, even at the time he made that statement, Carroll acknowledged Wilkins was in the midst of a “long, challenging process,” and as of late June, the 29-year-old was still in a walking boot (though a report from earlier this month indicated Wilkins was making progress).

The upshot here is that a pending contentious battle over finances has become more muddled. But Wilkins, just one year removed from being one of the biggest free agent prizes in the sport, has already attracted the interest of several teams, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link). Rapoport does not identify the teams, and he says it is still uncertain when Wilkins will be medically cleared.

Pete Carroll Addresses Christian Wilkins Decision; Latest On Raiders’ DT Plans

July 25th, 2025 at 4:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders continue to struggle at giving Maxx Crosby a reliable supporting cast. Christian Wilkins has followed Chandler Jones as a free agency miss, one that came as the team’s top-10 Tyree Wilson investment has yet to produce much of consequence. Wilkins is out despite having been attached to the second-most lucrative defensive tackle deal.

As a fight between the surprising castoff and the Raiders brews, the team did not view the high-priced D-lineman’s recovery path as being set to yield a near-future return. As a result, Las Vegas cut bait and will move into training camp without much invested at defensive tackle.

“We watched our way through the whole thing,” Pete Carroll said Friday, via the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore. “There was no clear path to his return. And so we just had to move on.”

The Raiders had given Wilkins a monster guarantee ($57MM at signing) despite the former first-round pick not delivering much in the way of pass-rushing production outside of an impressive 2023 contract year. Wilkins, though, had displayed dominance as a run defender in Miami and was PFR’s No. 4-ranked free agent last year.

The Dolphins had hesitated on a monster extension due to limited pass-rushing production from 2019-22; a nine-sack 2023 changed the team’s thinking but cap issues prevented a true effort to compete in that market last March. Wilkins is now in free agency again and fighting for the guaranteed money he received upon signing.

To land the biggest fish in last year’s pass-rushing market, the Raiders authorized three fully guaranteed years. That is a rare structure, but it showed the demand Wilkins created after escaping the franchise tag deadline untethered. With Chris Jones being taken off the market two days before the 2024 legal tampering period, Wilkins benefited as the top DT prize. The Raiders did not, seeing Wilkins go down five games into the season. The Wilkins signing affected the Raiders’ decision to fire GM Tom Telesco after one year.

If the Raiders cannot succeed in voiding Wilkins’ remaining guarantees, they would be on the hook for a staggering $74.95MM in dead money (split between 2025 and ’26) stemming from guarantees and deferred signing bonus money. That would trail only Russell Wilson‘s Broncos penalty in NFL history. The Raiders informed Wilkins of their attempt to void the remaining guarantees last month, per Bonsignore, though CBS Sports’ Joel Corry views Wilkins’ guarantees as difficult to void based on what is known about this situation. The team is attempting to use a disagreement on a surgical path as a springboard to voiding them.

On the field, the Raiders’ D-line looks less imposing — even if Wilkins was unlikely to start the season on time. The team does not appear to be aggressively pursuing outside help at D-tackle, with Carroll indicating a “wide open” internal competition would take place. Leki Fotu, Jonah Laulu and 2025 draftees Tonka Hemingway and JJ Pegues are competing to join the recently re-signed Adam Butler as prominent Raiders contributors inside following Wilkins’ release.

Finding a one-for-one replacement on Wilkins’ level is impossible at this juncture, but some notable free agents remain. Ex-Wilkins Dolphins teammate Raekwon Davis is among them, joining Linval Joseph, William Gholston, Quinton Jefferson, Montravius Adams and ex-Raider Maurice Hurst Jr.. Jefferson, who played with the Raiders in 2021 and enjoyed two stints under Carroll in Seattle (2016-19, 2022), also worked out for the team before the Wilkins release, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes.

The team also claimed DT Keondre Coburn off waivers from the Titans, Wilson adds. Not bringing experience that rivals Jefferson’s nine-season run, Coburn played in 15 Tennessee games — as a backup behind a strong D-line trio — last season. He is tied to a one-year, $1.03MM contract. The Chiefs drafted the 332-pound defender in the 2023 sixth round.

Jefferson, now 32, remains in free agency. A 62-game starter, Jefferson split time with the Browns and Bills last season. Seventeen of Jefferson’s starts came with the Raiders, while he added 27 more under Carroll as a Seahawk. Seattle released Jefferson during Carroll’s final offseason in charge.

Raiders Release DT Christian Wilkins

July 25th, 2025 at 9:25am CST by Ben Levine

JULY 25: Clarifying the matter of a surgery request on the team’s part, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports Vegas attempted to have Wilkins undergo a second operation as a follow-up to his procedure in October. Wilkins’ preference to continue rehabbing instead of going under the knife a second time resulted in the tension between the parties which has now culminated in this release.

JULY 24: In a stunning move, the Raiders are moving on from one of the prizes of the 2024 offseason. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the team is releasing defensive tackle Christian Wilkins.

Per Schefter, the team is releasing Wilkins as a “terminated vested veteran.” The team was able to void the rest of the player’s remaining money ($35.2MM) following a dispute over Wilkins’ approach to rehabbing his foot injury. The voiding of guarantees happened last month, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, and the veteran subsequently filed a grievance with the NFLPA. Those events ultimately culminated in today’s sudden move.

We’re only a year removed from Wilkins signing one of the most notable contracts of the 2024 offseason. The defensive tackle inked a four-year, $110MM deal that included $57.5MM in guaranteed money. He only ended up getting into five games during his first (and lone) season in Las Vegas, as a foot injury ended his season early in October.

That Jones fracture reportedly required surgery, but there are conflicting reports about how Wilkins approached his recovery. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Raiders wanted their investment to go under the knife, but the player refused after seeking multiple opinions. Meanwhile, Tashan Reed of The Athletic says the player did indeed undergo foot surgery, and today’s transaction stems from the player’s approach to rehab.

Either way, there was a clear lack of progress in his recovery from the injury, and this issue was at the root of a private battle that was “simmering” between the two sides for months, according to Russini. Vic Tafur of The Athletic adds that there have been “rumblings” about the player’s rehab for a while.

While the current Raiders’ regime wasn’t involved in the signing of Wilkins, the hulking defensive tackle was still one of the most talented players on the current roster. In other words, things must have gone very wrong between the two sides this offseason, and the team’s natural decision to void guarantees will only lead to more contention. Wilkins is surely done in Las Vegas, as his grievance will simply look to recoup any of that lost money. If the Raiders end up getting their way, they’ll only be on the hook for a prorated version of the player’s $24MM signing bonus (per Reed). This commitment comes via a restructuring from earlier this offseason.

The team clearly didn’t mince words in a statement announcing the transaction:

“This franchise has a Commitment to 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 the new season.”

Wilkins really didn’t bring much injury risk to Las Vegas. The former Dolphins first-round pick only missed a pair of games during his five seasons in Miami, and he appeared in all 51 games between 2021 and 2023. Over that span, the six-foot-four, 310-pound lineman compiled 252 tackles, 17 sacks, and four forced fumbles. Pro Football Focus graded him as a top-10 interior defensive lineman in both 2021 and 2022.

The free agent addition was trending towards at least a top-20 PFF grade during the 2024 season. He started each of his five appearances with the Raiders, compiling 17 tackles and a pair of sacks while only missing a handful of snaps in his four healthy games. The injury ultimately ended that productive campaign (and his Raiders career) early.

Adam Butler ended up leading the position grouping in snaps in 2024, and the veteran will now definitively be at the top of the depth chart with Wilkins no longer in the picture. The team is also still rostering Jonah Laulu, one of the main beneficiaries of Wilkins’ injury last year. John Jenkins is gone after finishing second among Raiders DTs in snaps last season, but the team did replace him with free agent acquisition Leki Fotu, who started nine of his 11 games with the Jets in 2024.

Wilkins’ foot issue obviously clouds his immediate future, and it may delay his signing with another squad. When he is ultimately deemed healthy, he’ll represent the most impactful free agent on the market, even as teams make cuts to their preseason rosters. Thanks to his newfound free agency and his ongoing dispute with the Raiders organization, this story is far from over.

Raiders Place Christian Wilkins On Active/PUP List; DT Making Progress In Recovery

July 18th, 2025 at 2:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

Christian Wilkins will not be available for at least the start of training camp. The high-priced defensive tackle was placed on the active/PUP list by the Raiders on Friday.

Wilkins can be activated at any time, which would not have been the case had he been given the reserve/PUP designation leading up to training camp. If the 29-year-old is not moved to the active roster by the time final cutdowns take place, he will be forced to miss the first four weeks of the campaign. That should not be expected in this case, however.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport notes Wilkins has been making “sound progress” while rehabbing the Jones fracture in his foot. The recovery process in this situation has proven to be long and arduous, with head coach Pete Carroll noting this spring it has been “challenging” for Wilkins to return to full health. As recently as late June, the former Dolphin had yet to shed a walking boot.

As a result, it comes as little surprise Wilkins will be unavailable for at least a portion of training camp. The Clemson product’s absence is nevertheless notable given the timing of his injury. Wilkins went down in Week 5 during the 2024 campaign, his first in Vegas. After a five-year run in Miami, he landed a free agent deal including $57.5MM fully guaranteed. Needless to say, expectations have not been met so far.

There is of course still plenty of time for Wilkins – who notched a career-high nine sacks in his final Dolphins campaign and posted double-digit tackles for loss each year from 2021-23 – to serve as a foundational member of the Raiders’ defensive interior. Returning to full health will be key as he prepares for the 2025 season, though, and there is clearly still work to be done on that front over the summer.

Raiders’ Christian Wilkins Yet To Shed Walking Boot

June 25th, 2025 at 4:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

Maxx Crosby‘s second extension continues the star pass rusher’s ascent as one of the better defenders in Raiders history. As the Pro Bowl edge rusher has continued to produce en route to a $35.5MM-per-year payday — one that set the table for Myles Garrett‘s market-topping deal this offseason — the Raiders have not done well to complement him.

Las Vegas whiffed badly on its Yannick Ngakoue-for-Chandler Jones switch, dealing the former for Rock Ya-Sin and signing the latter — reuniting him with then-leaders Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler — on a three-year, $51MM deal. Jones was ineffective in 2022, and the team cut him after a series of strange off-field developments in 2023. The team also attempted to supplement its hopeful Crosby-Jones tandem with No. 7 overall pick Tyree Wilson. Through two years, the Texas Tech alum has not established himself as a starter.

The Raiders sought a big-ticket adjustment to their Crosby supporting cast last year, adding Christian Wilkins on a four-year, $110MM megadeal that came with $57.5MM fully guaranteed — a number that trails only Chris Jones among interior defensive linemen. Acquired during Tom Telesco‘s one GM offseason in Vegas, Wilkins evaded a Dolphins franchise tag and benefited from the Chiefs taking Jones off the market two days before free agency. Capitalizing on a clear runway to the market, Wilkins cashed in — but he has yet to reward the Raiders. His early-season injury factored into the Raiders’ decision to fire Telesco after one year.

The team saw Wilkins felled by a Jones fracture in October, and upon taking over the situation in January, Pete Carroll did not offer positive updates on the matter. The new Raiders HC called Wilkins’ rehab process “difficult” and “challenging,” and said he is not expected to be ready for training camp. Those comments came in late May, when Wilkins had been described as being in and out of a walking boot this offseason. With less than a month until camp, Wilkins is back in a walking boot. A recent photo (h/t The Athletic’s Tashan Reed) indeed featured Wilkins in a boot.

Jones fractures can be troublesome, but training camp will mark more than nine months since the injury. Suffering Jones fractures in 2020 and ’21, respectively, Deebo Samuel and Derrick Henry returned after multi-month absences. After suffering the break in June 2020, Samuel was in uniform by Week 4. Henry went down in early November 2021; he was on the field when the Titans played a divisional-round game against the Bengals. Injuries are not created equal, of course, and Wilkins has veered into the longer end of rehabbing from this setback.

Wilkins, who will turn 30 before season’s end, received three fully guaranteed salaries as part of his player-friendly deal. His 2026 $27.25MM base is locked in, and the Raiders already completed a restructure on the deal; that will make a future separation more difficult. It is still too early to speculate on a parting, even as the Raiders have changed front offices since the signing, but a spring fear that Wilkins would miss 2025 time may be closer to becoming reality.

AFC East Notes: Bills, Wilkins, Hilton, Pats

June 13th, 2025 at 11:25am CST by Sam Robinson

Formerly a GM candidate, Lake Dawson has not come up on the PFR pages since 2019. But the former NFL wide receiver had remained a key presence in the Bills‘ front office. The longtime Brandon Beane lieutenant, however, is no longer with the franchise. Dawson joined Oklahoma’s staff under new Sooners GM Jim Nagy. The SEC program announced Dawson’s addition as senior assistant GM recently. Dawson, 53, played for the Chiefs from 1994-97, being a regular starter during the back half of Marty Schottenheimer‘s tenure. He has nearly 25 years’ worth of experience on the personnel side, moving from the Seahawks to the Titans to the Browns to the Bills. The Panthers twice interviewed Dawson for their GM job before rehiring Marty Hurney in 2018. Dawson turned down an offer to become the Dolphins’ GM in 2014. The former Tennessee VP of player personnel had been Buffalo’s assistant director of college scouting, but he will follow Joe Schoen in leaving the team for another opportunity.

Here is the latest from the AFC East:

Raiders DT Christian Wilkins Unlikely To Be Cleared Before Training Camp

May 22nd, 2025 at 2:42pm CST by Adam La Rose

Christian Wilkins was limited to just five games during his debut season with the Raiders due to a Jones fracture. Surgery in October shut him down for the remainder of the campaign, and things have not gone smoothly with respect to his rehab process.

Wilkins’ left foot has been in and out of a walking boot since the procedure, as noted by Vic Tafur of The Athletic (subscription required). The big-ticket 2024 free agent addition was mentioned last month as a candidate to miss time during the coming season based on his status at the time. With Wilkins not taking part in spring practices, it is clear he still has plenty of work to do to suit up for Week 1.

“This has been a difficult recovery,” head coach Pete Carroll said when speaking about Wilkins’ situation (via Tafur). “He’s done everything he needs to do. He’s been here every day… We’re in the midst of a long, challenging process here. Fortunately, there’s a lot of time.”

April’s update suggested a second procedure took place, but Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal notes Wilkins is dealing with a setback. The screw inserted into the 29-year-old’s foot may have broken, or Wilkins may have re-fractured the bone which was initially injured. The latter scenario is rare, but in either case Bonsignore adds a return to full health should not be expected until August.

That timeline would leave the former Dolphin sidelined for the remainder of OTAs and minicamp through the start of training camp in July. Wilkins being back to 100% by that point would still leave plenty of time for him to prepare for the season, of course, but in the meantime his absence will be felt on a Raiders team which added him on a four-year, $110MM contract last March. That pact was restructured this offseason in a move which created $15MM in cap room but left high expectations for the former first-rounder upon return.

Vegas still has veteran Adam Butler in place along the defensive line, and the team made a pair of additions during the fourth and sixth rounds of the draft (Tonka Hemingway, J.J. Pegues). That group’s performance will depend in large part on Wilkins delivering on expectations this year, of course, but given his current status it remains to be seen how much time he will spend on the field during training camp.

Raiders’ Christian Wilkins Could Miss Time In 2025

April 23rd, 2025 at 11:49am CST by Nikhil Mehta

Raiders defensive tackle Christian Wilkins missed most of his debut year in Las Vegas after season-ending surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his foot. Now, according to Sportkeeda’s Tony Pauline, he is at risk of missing “a significant portion of the 2025 season” due to a potential second procedure on his foot.

Wilkins signed a four-year, $110MM contract with the Raiders last March which made him the second-highest-paid DT in the NFL. He recorded 2.0 sacks in his first five games in Las Vegas before landing on injured reserve. The Raiders already need depth along the interior of their defensive line, and an extended absence from Wilkins would make the position a dire need. That could impact the team’s plans in the upcoming draft.

Las Vegas, who holds the sixth overall pick in Thursday’s draft, was considered a likely landing spot for Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. Now that he’s trending towards the Jaguars at No. 5, the Raiders are expected to pivot to the trenches with their first-rounder. Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham and Missouri offensive tackle Armand Membou are the leading candidates, per Pauline, as well as Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

The potential for Wilkins to miss time this year may tilt the Raiders’ interest towards Graham, who is the consensus DT1 in the 2025 class. General manager John Spytek and minority owner Tom Brady were roommates in Ann Arbor in college and could look to add another Wolverine to the mix. Graham also had a long call with defensive line coach Rob Leonard, per Fowler, with a guest appearance from potential teammate Maxx Crosby.

However, some within the Raiders organization are pushing for an offensive lineman, according to Diana Russini of The Athletic. Left tackle Kolton Miller is seeking an extension in the last year of his contract, and the new regime in Las Vegas may prefer to draft his replacement instead. Either Membou or Banks could compete for a starting job at guard or right tackle as a rookie with the long-term goal of taking over on the left side later on.

The Raiders have also explore trading up from the No. 6 pick, per Russini. They could be looking to jump the Jaguars for Jeanty after doing extensive work on him during the pre-draft process.

AFC West Notes: Bolts, Broncos, Wilkins

March 25th, 2025 at 5:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Retaining Najee Harris was believed to still be a Steelers option this winter, but the team had declined its starting running back’s fifth-year option last May. Passing on that opened the door to the 2021 first-rounder becoming a one-contract Steeler, and Harris said (via ESPN.com’s Kris Rhim) he began to believe late last season he was on his way out. The Steelers do not negotiate with players in-season, but serious re-signing talks did not emerge this offseason. Harris landed a one-year, $5.25MM deal with the Chargers.

The Miami alum said Jim Harbaugh was a lead reason he signed with the Bolts. The team ramped up its run-game usage last season and has since cut Gus Edwards. Primary starter J.K. Dobbins is also a free agent. He of four 1,000-yard seasons, Harris is almost definitely set to start for the Bolts this season. The Steelers slapped a second-round RFA tender on Jaylen Warren and signed ex-Eagles backup Kenneth Gainwell in free agency.

Here is the latest from the AFC West:

  • Staying on the running back beat here, the Broncos have not replaced Javonte Williams (who signed with the Cowboys). With a deep running back draft approaching, the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson views it as a near-certainty the team will bolster this position come April. The Broncos hold picks in the first three rounds for the first time since 2021, before the Russell Wilson and Sean Payton trades depleted their draft capital. Having addressed linebacker, safety and tight end in free agency, Denver should have a clearer runway to add to its backfield during the first three rounds.
  • Elsewhere on Denver’s roster, the team already turned to Jonathon Cooper‘s contract — agreed to at the midseason point — as a restructure avenue. The team moved Cooper’s $4MM roster bonus into a signing bonus, per the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel, who adds the team created $3.2MM in cap space via the adjustment. The Nik Bonitto sidekick remains signed, at $13.5MM per year, through the 2028 season.
  • The Broncos also replaced fired inside linebacker coach Michael Wilhoite, hiring former college DC Jeff Schmedding, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Schmedding, 47, comes over after two seasons as Washington State’s DC. He was Auburn’s DC in 2022 and Boise State’s from 2019-20. This Broncos ILB post will be Schmedding’s first NFL job.
  • Back to the restructure topic, the Raiders cleared out cap room by turning to Christian Wilkins‘ monster deal. Las Vegas converted Wilkins’ $20.5MM roster bonus, which was due earlier this month, into a signing bonus. That will spread out the D-tackle’s cap hits over the life of the contract and free up 2025 cap room, with the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore indicating the team created $15MM in space. The Raiders hold $50.9MM in cap space as of Tuesday, according to OverTheCap.
  • Winding up some Chargers contract matters, the team added two defenders on low-end deals. The Bolts’ accord with defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand is for one year and $2.35MM, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets, adding $1.93MM is guaranteed. Hand can earn another $1MM via playing-time incentives. Hand, 29, started two games for the Dolphins last season; he had previously gone since 2020 without starting a game. Linebacker Del’Shawn Phillips‘ Bolts deal is worth $2MM over one year, per OverTheCap. The team is guaranteeing Phillips $700K, between a $400K signing bonus and a partial salary guarantee, Wilson adds. Phillips, 28, will reunite with Chargers GM Joe Hortiz, who was a Ravens exec during the reserve LB’s two-year run in Baltimore.
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