It’s been a troubling start to Christian Wilkins‘s tenure with the Las Vegas Raiders.
After five star seasons as a member of the Miami Dolphins from 2019-2023, Wilkins signed a massive 4-year, $110 million contract with the Raiders during the 2024 offseason.
But Wilkins was only able to play 5 games for the Raiders in 2024 before suffering a Jones fracture and needing to undergo surgery, putting him out indefinitely.
Raiders fans have eagerly hoped to see Wilkins back on the field in the Silver and Black in 2025, but a recent social media photo casts doubt on those hopes.
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy shared a new photo alongside Wilkins on Monday evening June 24, 2025. Wilkins, and Raiders defensive tackle Jonah Laulu, were by Van Noy’s side at his charity golf challenge.
Eagle-eyed fans and reporters noticed that Wilkins was unfortunately back in a walking boot on the same foot he suffered the fracture in.
Wilkins Also Rumored to Need Surgery
This photo is a very unfortunate sign for Raiders fans, as it comes amidst reports that Wilkins needs another procedure.
Mitchell Renz, host of a massive Raiders YouTube channel called Raiders Report on YouTube which has over 194,000 subscribers, claimed that a trusted source told him that Wilkins needs another surgery that could keep him out of the entire 2025 season.
That information has not yet been confirmed by named sources close to the team or the team itself.
Wilkins has been in and out of the boot, according to Tashan Reed of The Athletic, but was most recently out of it at OTAs.
Head Coach Pete Carroll’s most recent comments on Wilkins’s health weren’t exactly encouraging, either.
“He’s not ready to get back out,” Carroll said. “We’re in the midst of a long challenging process. So fortunately, there’s a lot of time, and we’re going to take every bit of it.”
Coaches usually try to have their players’ backs and spin the news as positively as possible, so the fact that even Carroll called the process challenging is not an encouraging sign for Raiders fans.
What are the Raiders’ Other DT Options?
Fortunately for Raiders fans, their other starting defensive tackle is healthy despite missing voluntary OTAs.
Adam Butler missed OTAs to help his wife with their newborn child, but was back and healthy by June 10, 2025.
Laulu, a 7th round pick by the Raiders in 2024, is also ironically going to factor heavily into the Raiders’ interior defensive line rotation, so it’s good that he is spending time with Wilkins and hopefully getting some tips from the veteran.
Free-agent signing Leki Fotu is also a likely candidate to step up and start in Wilkins’ potential absence. Fotu has been a depth option for the Arizona Cardinals for most of his career, which started back in 2020.
The Raiders’ most intriguing defensive lineman on the roster is 2025 undrafted free agent Laki Tasi, a massive 6 feet 6 inch tall, 348 pound defensive tackle who is from Australia and is making the transition from rugby to football.
So, the Raiders have plenty of in-house options should Wilkins need to miss the 2025 season.
But still, it would be a massive disappointment for such a talented player, whom the Raiders have invested a lot of money into, to sit out another 17 games.
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