The Miami Dolphins view Christian Wilkins as a valued leader, and a building block for its defense, which is why the team will try to extend the defensive tackle before utilizing the fifth-year option by the May 2 deadline.
According to a league source, the goal is for Wilkins to receive a multi-year extension from the Dolphins this offseason, one that could make him one of the NFL’s 10 highest paid defensive tackles. Negotiations are ongoing, but in the exploratory stages.
Wilkins, the team’s 2019 first-round pick, is coming off a season where he delivered career-highs in tackles (89), tackles for loss (10), quarterback hits (13), and sacks (4.5).
“He had a heck of a year here last year,” Miami Dolphins General Manager Grier said when asked about Wilkins, who has contributed 192 tackles (17 for loss), eight sacks, one forced fumble and recovered three fumble during his three seasons in Miami.
Even though Grier stressed that it’s important for the new coaching staff to learn how each player fits into their program, the Dolphins realize Wilkins holds a valuable role on the team, and on Miami’s hybrid defensive front.
If Miami can’t get an extension done before the May 2 deadline for exercising the fifth-year option, they would likely use the fifth-year option, guaranteeing the former Clemson standout $10,069,000 in 2023, which is a figure that is determined based on the playing time he’s received the past three years, and the average salary of the third through 20th highest paid defensive tackles.
The Dolphins have a league leading $60 million in cap space to work with this offseason to overhaul the roster by adding free agents, but Miami is also in position to pursue trades, and intends to extend players under contract like Wilkins, and Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard, whom Grier acknowledged the team is working on a new extension for this spring.
Getting a multi-year deal done with Wilkins, who is slated to earn $2.6 million this season, would likely require an annually salary in the $10-13 million range. Heading into this free agency cycle, which begins on March 14 with the legal negotiating period, there are 18 defensive tackles that make more than $10 million a season.
Tampa Bay’s Vita Vea is the last defensive tackle who landed the most recent lucrative extension, receiving a four-year, $71 million extension back in January. The Buccaneers nose tackle had $40.6 million of that contract guaranteed.
It’s hard to envision Wilkins landing a deal that large unless he replicates his productive 2022 season, but a four-year extension that lands him a $50-60 million deal is realistic.
Last year the Dolphins signed Jerome Baker and Jason Sanders to lucrative extensions before they played in the final season of their contract. But Miami allowed tight ends Mike Gesicki and Durham Smythe to play out their entire contract, potentially making those former draftees unrestricted free agents unless a extension gets done before the free signing period begins on March 16 at 4 p.m.
The fifth-year option, which is only available for first-round picks, gives the Dolphins an extra season to get a deal done, but doing a multi-year extension would be more cap friendly.
The Dolphin haven’t utilized a fifth-year options since 2019 when they picked up Laremy Tunsil’s option the summer before trading the Pro Bowl offensive tackle to the Houston Texans for a treasure chest of draft pick.
The last time the Dolphins were faced with this decision was two offseasons ago when they not only declined to pick up the fifth-year options for both Charles Harris and Taco Charlton, but ended up moving on from both defensive ends before the deadline, trading Harris to the Atlanta Falcons for a seventh-round pick, and releasing Charlton, whom the team claimed off waiver from Dallas midway through the 2019 season.
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