Just when it seemed like the offseason dust had settled and teams were about to settle in for training camp, the NFL found another way to keep us all on our toes. On Thursday evening, word broke that the Las Vegas Raiders had made the shocking decision to release Christian Wilkins, just one year after signing the star defensive tackle to a five-year, $110 million deal.
The #Raiders and DT Christian Wilkins have had an ongoing dispute over his foot and whether or not to have surgery. The team wanted him to. He declined after several opinions.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 24, 2025
Now, released. There is also expected to be a fight over guaranteed money. https://t.co/GRTcTr46a7
The two sides had apparently been at odds for some time over the best way for Wilkins to rehab the foot injury that kept him out for much of 2024, a battle that eventually resulted in an ugly (and presumably prolonged) divorce. Now, the Raiders' loss has the chance to be someone else's gain; whoever signs Wilkins won't be on the hook for any of that previous money, and while there is some uncertainty surrounding the status of his surgically repaired foot — prior to his release, he was put on the PUP and deemed ineligible for the start of training camp — he seems to be moving pretty well and could be back on the field before too long.
And that means that the Green Bay Packers have been gifted a golden opportunity they can't afford to pass up.
Christian Wilkins would be the perfect way for Packers to atone for complacent offseason
Of course, this move would come with a good amount of risk. Again, we still don't know exactly what the deal is with Wilkins' health, and the dispute between he and the Raiders raises at lesat some questions about his work ethic after bagging a massive payday. But Wilkins looked more or less like himself in the five games he played in 2024 prior to going down, and it's tough to come up with an impact talent better suited to this Packers roster ahead of a season with sky-high expectations.
Green Bay desperately needs to find ways to get more pass-rush juice; players like Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness have flashed at times, but Gary was the only one to record more than five sacks last season. Wilkins would change that immediately, slotting alongside Kenny Clark to wreak havoc on the interior. This is the same guy who put up nine sacks in his contract year in 2023, after all.
It would also be a huge departure from the norm for GM Brian Gutekunst, and for the better. The Packers were a top-six defense last season, but Green Bay didn't do a ton to bolster the unit over the offseason, swapping out Jaire Alexander for Nate Hobbs and leaving the front seven largely untouched. Landing Wilkins would be a way to not just improve the product on the field, but to signal to this fan base that the Packers are finally committed to pushing all their chips into the middle of the table. And given all of the unknowns surrounding Wilkins right now, they can probably do it without breaking the bank.