In the inaugural year of Brian Flores’ leadership with the Minnesota Vikings, the team’s defense exceeded expectations. One of the key objectives for the upcoming offseason is aligning the defensive talent with the team’s advanced strategy.
Judd Zulgad, writing for Vikings Wire on January 25, extensively explored potential free-agent acquisitions for the Vikings. Leading the list is the highly skilled defensive tackle/defensive end, Christian Wilkins, from the Miami Dolphins.
Wilkins holds the seventh position in Pro Football Focus’ Top 150 free agent rankings, indicating a significant investment. However, given the Vikings’ urgent requirement for interior defensive line assistance and Wilkins’ familiarity with defensive coordinator Brian Flores, the move appears logical.
Selected as the Dolphins’ initial pick under Flores’ tenure in 2019, Wilkins has consistently excelled as a run defender and elevated his pass-rushing capabilities this season.
Should Wilkins enter free agency, he might command a salary surpassing $20 million annually, potentially straining the Vikings’ budget. Nonetheless, having the adaptable Wilkins anchoring the defensive line would represent a substantial enhancement for Flores’ defensive strategy. In 2023, Wilkins broadened his skill set, achieving personal bests in pressures (30), QB hits (23), and sacks (9), surpassing previous records significantly, according to Pro Football Reference.
The enhancement of Wilkins’ performance due to his pass-rushing abilities not only distinguished his game last season but is also expected to enhance his contract worth as he approaches his first free agency stint in March. According to Spotrac’s estimation, the former Clemson first-rounder (drafted at No. 13 overall in 2019) could command a market value of approximately $81 million over a fresh four-year deal ($20.2 million per year).
Additionally, Wilkins, who is now 28, has bolstered his value by consistently showing up week after week since joining the NFL. Throughout his professional career, he has participated in 81 out of 83 possible regular-season games, starting in 77 of them.
Zulgad also investigated the Dolphins’ strategies for keeping Wilkins, which involve the team’s only chance to prevent their standout defensive tackle from becoming a free agent.
“Miami couldn’t finalize a contract extension with Wilkins last offseason, and the team is already well over the salary cap,” Zulgad stated on Thursday. “The Dolphins might consider using the franchise tag on Wilkins — projected at $19.7 million for defensive tackles next season, as per Over The Cap — but it’s uncertain if that will occur.”
The Flores connection to Wilkins is meaningful, as one of the better defensive minds in the NFL begins to build the defense in his image and around an aggressive scheme that proved exceedingly successful in Minnesota last season.
