One day after the Raiders released defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, head coach Pete Carroll addressed the stunning decision.
Pete Carroll Addresses Release Of Christian Wilkins
🔴📽️Live: HC Pete Carroll, Germaine Pratt, and Kolton Miller, address the media from the Intermountain Health Performance Center. https://t.co/kUFpwttegv
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) July 25, 2025
On Thursday night, the Raiders announced they had released Wilkins with the designation of terminated vested veteran.
“We have decided that it is in the best interests of the organization to move on from Christian Wilkins and he has been informed of his release from the team,” the Raiders said in a statement. “This franchise has a Commitment to Excellence on and off the field. With no clear path or plan for future return to play from Christian, this transaction is necessary for the entire organization to move forward and prepare for the new season.”
It was a stunning move, considering the Raiders signed Wilkins to a four-year, $110 million contract during the 2024 offseason. However, the Raiders had a dispute with Wilkins over his rehab from a broken foot.
Carroll spoke to the media on Friday for the first time since the shocking decision. The veteran head coach said the team took a “long time” to decide how to handle this situation. Ultimately, the organization decided to part ways.
“We took a long time to make our decision,” Carroll said via Raiders.com. “We watched our way through the whole thing. We’re keeping it really clear with what we said. I think there was no clear path to his return, so we just had to move on.”
Wilkins, 29, suffered a season-ending foot injury in Week 5. The defensive tackle finished his 2024 campaign with 17 tackles, two sacks, and six quarterback hits.
Wilkins reportedly suffered a setback in his rehab this offseason, leading the Raiders to put him on the physically unable to perform list (PUP) before training camp opened this week.
The Raiders were clearly not happy with how Wilkins rehabbed his foot and decided to cut ties with him now, before the season.
Here’s where things get complicated. Wilkins’ deal included $82.75 million guaranteed. The Raiders are trying to void the remaining $32.25 million of the deal. In response to the Raiders’ decision, Wilkins has filed a grievance with the NFL Players Association. There is no timeline on when to expect a ruling on Wilkins’ guaranteed money.
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) July 24, 2025
Raiders Must Find A New Defensive Tackle
#Raiders coach Pete Carroll has stressed many times that he’s not afraid to play young guys
With that in mind he’s really stressing getting them opportunities in practice to see them/how they handle that competition
— Jesse Merrick – Silver & Black Sports Network (@JesseSBSN) July 25, 2025
Wilkins was the Raiders’ top free agent signing in 2024. Now, he’s off the team, and the Raiders must find his replacement.
Adam Butler and Jonah Laulu are the tackles who worked with the first team in Wilkins’ absence. Both players competed in all 17 games last season.
Carroll welcomes the competition to find Wilkins’ replacement.
“This place is about competition,” Carroll said via NFL.com. “It always has been. It’s wide open. I’m not going to talk about any names right now. If you watch the rotations, we’re giving everybody a chance. We’re mixing the (starters) with the (backups) all the way throughout just to gather a bunch of information.”
