The Minnesota Vikings were interested in signing defensive tackle Christian Wilkins when the 2024 free agency period began. But they couldn’t compete with the Las Vegas Raiders‘ four-year, $110 million offer.
Wilkins won’t play out that contract, though, getting released by the Raiders on Thursday. The situation could become complicated, with the Raiders wanting Wilkins to undergo surgery on his foot after he suffered a Jones fracture last October. Wilkins didn’t want to undergo surgery, and now the Raiders voided the last $35.2 million of his contract in June.
The NFLPA filed a grievance on his behalf on Thursday.
Speculation arose that the Vikings could be interested in Wilkins again. He was the 13th overall pick by the Miami Dolphins in 2019. That was Brian Flores’s first season as the team’s head coach. And he was clearly interested in a reunion with Wilkins last year.
But do the Vikings feel the same way now? If Wilkins isn’t fully recovered from the injury, is he worth signing? The Vikings already brought in free agent veterans Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave this offseason to bolster the interior defensive line.
It feels like too much risk for a player with uncertainty and controversy surrounding his injury. This might be a good idea on paper, but doesn’t make sense in reality.