Maxx Crosby‘s second extension continues the star pass rusher’s ascent as one of the better defenders in Raiders history. As the Pro Bowl edge rusher has continued to produce en route to a $35.5MM-per-year payday — one that set the table for Myles Garrett‘s market-topping deal this offseason — the Raiders have not done well to complement him.
Las Vegas whiffed badly on its Yannick Ngakoue-for-Chandler Jones switch, dealing the former for Rock Ya-Sin and signing the latter — reuniting him with then-leaders Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler — on a three-year, $51MM deal. Jones was ineffective in 2022, and the team cut him after a series of strange off-field developments in 2023. The team also attempted to supplement its hopeful Crosby-Jones tandem with No. 7 overall pick Tyree Wilson. Through two years, the Texas Tech alum has not established himself as a starter.
The Raiders sought a big-ticket adjustment to their Crosby supporting cast last year, adding Christian Wilkins on a four-year, $110MM megadeal that came with $57.5MM fully guaranteed — a number that trails only Chris Jones among interior defensive linemen. Acquired during Tom Telesco‘s one GM offseason in Vegas, Wilkins evaded a Dolphins franchise tag and benefited from the Chiefs taking Jones off the market two days before free agency. Capitalizing on a clear runway to the market, Wilkins cashed in — but he has yet to reward the Raiders. His early-season injury factored into the Raiders’ decision to fire Telesco after one year.
The team saw Wilkins felled by a Jones fracture in October, and upon taking over the situation in January, Pete Carroll did not offer positive updates on the matter. The new Raiders HC called Wilkins’ rehab process “difficult” and “challenging,” and said he is not expected to be ready for training camp. Those comments came in late May, when Wilkins had been described as being in and out of a walking boot this offseason. With less than a month until camp, Wilkins is back in a walking boot. A recent photo (h/t The Athletic’s Tashan Reed) indeed featured Wilkins in a boot.
Jones fractures can be troublesome, but training camp will mark more than nine months since the injury. Suffering Jones fractures in 2020 and ’21, respectively, Deebo Samuel and Derrick Henry returned after multi-month absences. After suffering the break in June 2020, Samuel was in uniform by Week 4. Henry went down in early November 2021; he was on the field when the Titans played a divisional-round game against the Bengals. Injuries are not created equal, of course, and Wilkins has veered into the longer end of rehabbing from this setback.
Wilkins, who will turn 30 before season’s end, received three fully guaranteed salaries as part of his player-friendly deal. His 2026 $27.25MM base is locked in, and the Raiders already completed a restructure on the deal; that will make a future separation more difficult. It is still too early to speculate on a parting, even as the Raiders have changed front offices since the signing, but a spring fear that Wilkins would miss 2025 time may be closer to becoming reality.