Christian Wilkins contract: How much is the Dolphins DT earning in Miami?

The Miami Dolphins have seen Christian Wilkins develop into a top-tier defensive lineman over the years; his performance in the previous season, in which he recorded a new career-best nine sacks, was indicative of this. He has also been crucial to the team's reconstruction effort since his 2019 draft selection.

Wilkins is an important member of the Dolphins' defense, and it has been reported that the organization is actively seeking a new contract for him. On Sunday, though, reports indicated that teams all over the league are preparing for Wilkins to become a free agent.

Let's examine the terms of Wilkins' most recent deal with the Miami team.

The Dolphins picked Christian Wilkins as the 13th overall choice in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft. He then agreed on a four-year, $15.4 million contract with a $9.2 million signing bonus and an average yearly salary of $3.9 million.

Wilkins played in 2023 on a fifth-year option that brought him a salary of $10.8 million.

Since being selected in the draft, the defensive tackle has been effective for the Dolphins, particularly in 2022. That season, Wilkins recorded 3.5 sacks, a career-high 98 total tackles, two forced fumbles and one recovery. He added 65 total tackles in 2023, along with nine sacks.

Christian Wilkins has suited up for 81 of the 83 games he has been eligible to play in, missing only two during the regular season since he began playing for the Dolphins in 2019.

Christian Wilkins could leave the Miami Dolphins before the 2024 season

Christian Wilkins, a defensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins, is one of the team's most effective defensive players of the last five seasons. However, the organization has apparently decided not to use the franchise tag to keep Wilkins through the 2024 season.

This implies that Wilkins, 28, might leave the Dolphins for other NFL teams ahead of the 2024 season.

The Cleveland Browns are among the teams who could be keen on Wilkins, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, who also mentioned the Houston Texans as a possible interesting destination.

The 2019 NFL draft first-round pick is negotiating a multi-year contract that would place him among the top-paid players in his position. That would mean giving him a contract worth about $20 million a season for four or five years, but it doesn't appear like the Dolphins are prepared to match that much for a defensive lineman.