Patriots to consider adding Christian Wilkins in free agency, Vrabel says
Patriots to consider adding Christian Wilkins in free agency, Vrabel says originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Will the New England Patriots add another high-profile defensive tackle ahead of the 2025 season?
Head coach Mike Vrabel raised a few eyebrows Friday morning when asked about Christian Wilkins, and whether the Patriots would consider signing the 29-year-old defensive tackle after he was surprisingly released by the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday.
I think we'll have a conversation," Vrabel said. Again, this is pretty new, so I don't have all the information on where Christian is. I know Christian. I recruited him when he was up here in the area in Connecticut and going to high school, so I'm sure we'll have a conversation about it."
That's certainly not a no" from Vrabel. The Patriots certainly have the resources to sign Wilkins - they currently have the most cap space in the NFL at more than $60 million - and Wilkins has a local connection: He grew up in Framingham, Mass., and later attended Suffield Academy in Connecticut.
Wilkins' situation is complicated, however. The 2019 first-round pick has been recovering from a Jones fracture in his left foot that he suffered in October 2024. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter and Ryan McFadden, the Raiders wanted Wilkins to have surgery, but he refused, leading to Las Vegas voiding $35.2 million of guaranteed money on his contract due to failure to maintain his physical condition to play" and releasing him on Thursday.
Wilkins responded by filing a grievance with the NFLPA.
Wilkins has plenty of talent; he racked up 17 sacks in a three-season span with the Miami Dolphins from 2021 to 2023, including a nine-sack campaign in 2023. His current injury is cause for concern, though, and the Patriots already invested significant money at the position by signing Milton Williams to the largest contract in franchise history this offseason and extending Christian Barmore last offseason.
That said, New England could use all the talent it can get, which may explain why Vrabel and his staff will at least have a discussion about adding Wilkins.