Christian Wilkins, who was released by the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday, kissed a fellow player on the head and the teammate took offense to it, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The incident was not the sole reason why Wilkins was cut, sources said. Wilkins has been recovering from a Jones fracture, which he suffered in his left foot last October.
Because of how Wilkins has treated the rehab from his injury, the Raiders voided the remaining $35.2 million of guaranteed money left on his contract on June 4, sources said. He was released with the designation of terminated vested veteran, sources told Schefter. Wilkins has asked the NFLPA to file a grievance on his behalf.
The incident happened inside of the Raiders locker room last week. One source told ESPN that the interaction was “playful,” but the teammate didn’t see it that way. It’s not known what the fellow player did following the incident.
The Raiders’ human resources department was made aware of the incident.
The Raiders, through a team spokesperson, declined to comment on the situation.
Last offseason, Wilkins signed a four-year, $110 million deal, with $84.75 million guaranteed, with Las Vegas. He had spent the previous five seasons with the Miami Dolphins, where he posted a career-best nine sacks in 2023.
He collected 17 tackles, 2 sacks and 6 quarterback hits in just five games before undergoing season-ending surgery for the Jones fracture.
ESPN’s Ryan McFadden contributed to this report.
