A Top DT and Old Friend of Brian Flores Is Set to Hit Free Agency
Josh Frey
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Free agency officially begins in just over a week for the Minnesota Vikings and the rest of the NFL.
When that March 13th date hits, talent around the league who saw their contracts expire will be free to sign new deals with any of the 32 teams around the league. One of those players is top DT Christian Wilkins, who won’t be franchise tagged by the Miami Dolphins.
A Top DT Headed to Free Agency
Wilkins, 28, has spent each of his first five NFL seasons with the Miami Dolphins after being selected with the 13th overall pick back in 2019. Ironically, the selection of Wilkins happened to be the first draft pick of Brian Flores’ tenure as head coach of the team.
Over those five seasons, the defensive tackle has been one of the more dominant defensive presences in the league, recording 355 tackles, 43 tackles for loss, 20.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, 19 passes defended, and an interception. 36 of those TFLs and 17 of his sacks have come over the past three years.
Wilkins is expected to garner one of the top contracts of the offseason with Spotrac projecting that he will receive a four-year deal worth nearly $81 million for an AAV of right around $20.2 million. Meanwhile, PFF’s Brad Spielberger has projected he will receive a four-year contract worth $100 million, including $67.5 million in guarantees.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network had the report, tweeting, “The #Dolphins will not franchise tag standout DT Christian Wilkins, sources say, meaning the long-time pillar of Miami’s defense will be a free agent. Wilkins will be one of the top free agents regardless of position.”
The Vikings very well could be interested in Wilkins for a number of reasons. The connection between the defender and Flores exists as he spent three of Wilkins’ five seasons in Miami as the head coach of the team. Wilkins began his current three-year streak of 10+ tackles for loss and 3.5+ sacks during Flores’ final season in 2021.
Minnesota also has a very apparent need at the defensive tackle spot. Currently, they employ just three players on their defensive line: Dean Lowry, Harrison Phillips, and Jaquelin Roy. Lowry and Phillips each could be cut candidates this offseason as well. By moving on from both players, the Vikings would save a touch over $8.58 million against the salary cap this year, according to Over the Cap, and boosting their cap space to nearly $46 million.
In addition, the Vikings could be set to lose a trio of edge rushers in Marcus Davenport, Danielle Hunter, and D.J. Wonnum. If that were to happen, a bonafide pass rushing star in the middle of the defensive line could help mitigate those losses off the edge.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference. Contractual information was found via Over the Cap, Pro Football Focus, and Spotrac.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.