© Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Christian Wilkins will not play for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025. Despite signing a four-year, $110 million deal last offseason, he was released by the organization ahead of the 2025 NFL campaign.
Speculation surrounding that decision has since been circulating. A teammate’s recent response to the situation created more questions than answers.
Wilkins joined the Raiders roster ahead of the 2024 campaign after spending five years in Miami. He was expected to be a notable contributor across the Las Vegas defensive front.
Unfortunately, that won’t be the case.
The tackle was injured after five games in his debut season with the franchise. He reportedly refused to take his rehab as seriously as the team would’ve liked.
Why did the Raiders release Christian Wilkins?
ESPN initially cited his recovery process in Las Vegas’s reasoning for the dismissal.
Wilkins has been recovering from a Jones fracture, which he suffered in his left foot last October. Because of how Wilkins has treated rehab from his injury, the Raiders voided the remaining $35.2 million of guaranteed money left on his contract.
The belief was that Wilkins needed another surgery on his foot; he balked at getting it… The Raiders voided the guaranteed money left on his deal due to “failure to maintain his physical condition to play.”
Later reports suggest that his rehab wasn’t the only factor to play a part in the decision.
A ‘very weird incident’ has also been mentioned.
Christian Wilkins reportedly had an ‘incident’ with a teammate that led to his release by the #Raiders, league sources tell @JosinaAnderson.
Sources within the team are being careful and won’t leak many details. One says ‘it was weird… like, a very weird incident,’ per… pic.twitter.com/KTOwNVEAOb
— Nick Walters (@nickwalt) July 26, 2025
Specifics on that incident have not fully been disclosed though NFL insider Adam Schefter did reference a “playful kiss” supposedly planted on the wrong teammate.
“From speaking to people inside the Raiders locker room,” he stated, “They say that Christian Wilkins playfully went to kiss a teammate on the top of his head… They say that player took offense to it and that’s what everybody has been dancing around.”
“From speaking to people inside the Raiders locker room…
They say that Christian Wilkins playfully went to kiss a teammate on the top of his head..
They say that player took offense to it and that’s what everybody has been dancing around”@AdamSchefter #PMSLive https://t.co/das6W3HesB pic.twitter.com/MGfjATaiNh
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 28, 2025
The rumors sparked a major response on social media. Former 49ers offensive lineman Joe Feliciano was one to note Wilkins’ “freaky” history of controversial interactions after hearing the news.
Raiders teammate Adam Butler spoke on the situation at training camp.
#Raiders DT Adam Butler was asked today about Christian Wilkins. This was his answer…
“If you got something going on in life, talk to somebody. … Don’t make any hasty decisions. Get help.”pic.twitter.com/q1lPADPdFm https://t.co/r0FkjVIVEl
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 29, 2025
“If you got something going on in life, talk to somebody,” he said. “Don’t make any hasty decisions. Get help.”
The comments created more questions than answers.
Butler did little to clarify what actually happened. Instead, he offered a cryptic response suggesting something larger played a role in Christian Wilkins’ actions, whether that be related to his rehab or the viral rumors.
We may never get the full story on what truly transpired.