Christian Wilkins Released by Raiders After Injury Dispute and Locker Room Incident, Files Grievance Over Voided $35M

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex discuss Christian Wilkins' situation with the Raiders.

Christian Wilkins, the veteran defensive tackle formerly with the Las Vegas Raiders, was released on July 24, 2025 — just one year into a four-year, $110M contract. The Raiders attempted to void $35.2M of the guaranteed portion of his deal after he declined surgery on his injured foot following a season-ending Jones fracture, opting instead to rehab the injury. He began training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list and was ultimately cut with a terminated vested veteran designation.

Growing tensions within the locker room came to light shortly after his release. According to multiple reports, Wilkins playfully kissed a teammate on the head in the locker room—an action the teammate took offense to—which is believed to have contributed to his release. In response, Wilkins has filed a grievance with the NFL Players Association, disputing the voiding of his remaining guaranteed salary and challenging how the situation unfolded. What really happened?