INDIANAPOLIS — Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier has a meeting scheduled here this week with David Mulugheta, the agent for defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, in the hopes of getting a long-term deal done ahead of the league new year on March 13.
But the true deadline to get a long-term deal done is probably a week earlier than that. The Dolphins have to decide by March 5 whether to place the franchise tag on Wilkins, which absolutely seems to be an option Grier is considering.
Contract Update for Miami Dolphins DT Christian Wilkins
“I think all options are on the table for us,” Grier said at the NFL Scouting Combine here Wednesday. “… Dave and I have always had good conversations. But I’m just being very transparent with it, you know, I mean, he has earned it. He’s had a great season and so we’ll see what happens here after we talk here over the next couple of weeks.”
Even though the Dolphins are still an estimated $28.5 million over the 2024 salary cap, Grier said the team has the necessary resources to either sign Wilkins to a long-term deal (at perhaps $20+ million per year) or use the franchise tag on him ($22.1 million in 2024 base salary).
Wilkins has repeatedly said that he wants to remain a Dolphin, and it was telling that he participated in last week’s cycling challenge for cancer research even though his contract was set to expire.
“We had had conversations, and we were close on a deal last offseason, and it didn’t come together,” Grier said.
“For us, we, you know, we know what Christian is, the type of person and player, what he brings in the organization. So for us, you know, at the end of the day, it’s not what he had to do.
“As we were talking and trying to build a team and put together a roster of just trying to work together to find something that was fair to him and to us. At the end of the day, we tried, and the agent acknowledges [it] was a very fair offer and good. And so we’ll see where that takes us to this offseason.”
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If the Dolphins do tag Wilkins, they would have until mid-July to continue working on an extension. If that deadline passes without a deal, Wilkins would have to play the season on that tag and then would be in line to become a free agent again in 2025.
“I’m excited for Christian’s opportunity that he’s earned,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tuesday. “But yeah, we love good players, and we’d love to have him back.”
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Ross need to sale the team if he give Tua 50 to 55 million a year you are crazy. Because Tua isn’t a franchise QB. As you could tell in the second half of the season and the playoffs. Give Tua 5 years and he will not have us in the Super Bowl or win it all. He be lucky to win a playoff game. We need to Draft Penix JR to challenge Tua