Wilkins going to Raiders; 3 others also gone Jones, Van Ginkel and Hunt departing in free agency, too
For years, the Dolphins have been among the most active teams in the offseason, doling out huge contracts to high-profile players in free agency.
However, with a precarious cap situation and key contract negotiations looming, the Dolphins saw their playoff roster raided on the first day of the NFL’s legal tampering period Monday.
Four players — defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, safety Brandon
Jones, outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel and
Fins reach one-year deal with inside linebacker Anthony Walker Jr., Russell Wilson to the Steelers and Saquon Barkley to the Eagles,
right guard Robert Hunt — reportedly agreed to deals that will have them leave Miami after starting their careers with the Dolphins.
Both Wilkins and Hunt are to sign deals that will make them amone the highest-paid players at their respective positions.
Wilkins will reportedly sign a four-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders that has a $110 million base value and $84.75 million guaranteed.
Hunt reportedly agreed
to a five-year, $100 million deal with the Carolina Panthers that includes $63 million guaranteed.
Van Ginkel is reportedly joining former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores and the Minnesota Vikings on a two-year deal worth $20 million and $14 million guaranteed. Flores is Minnesota’s defensive coordinator.
Jones is reportedly signing a three-year deal worth $20 million with the Denver Broncos.
While many of the departures were expected, it puts more pressure on the Dolphins’ front office, which will have to clear more than $25 million by 4 p.m. Wednesday to become cap compliant and be able to add talent to a roster that hasn’t advanced past the wild-card round the last two seasons.
Wilkins, the No. 13 overall pick in the 2019 draft, emerged as a team captain and one of the faces of the Dolphins’ rebuild. In
2023, he had a career-high nine sacks. However, the two sides could not agree
on a contract extension last summer.
Wilkins’ future in Miami looked to be in jeopardy after the Dolphins declined to place the franchise tag on him last week, allowing him to become a free agent for the first time in his career.
He now becomes one of the highest-paid interior defensive linemen in the NFL, trailing only the Kansas City Chiefs’ Chris Jones and the Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald in average annual value.
The Dolphins selected Hunt, 27, with the No. 39 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He started 55 games over four seasons, primarily at right guard and has developed into one of the better interior offensive linemen.
Miami had contract talks with Hunt during the 2023 season but general manager Chris Grier said at the NFL Scouting Combine that Hunt wanted to test free agency.
Both Wilkins and Hunt ultimately won the bets they took, getting deals way more than what Miami offered.
Miami last week signed a pair of veteran defensive tackles, Isaiah Mack and Daviyon Nixon, to leagueminimum deals, but will now be in search of a productive replacement for Wilkins, in free agency or the draft.
The Dolphins have in-house candidates to replace Hunt; Liam Eichenberg, Lester Cotton and Robert Jones filled in for Hunt when he was injured last season and are under contract for the 2024 season. Grier, though, said the team would have to add some offensive linemen this offseason with starters Isaiah Wynn and Connor Williams also free agents.
Jones, 25, was a fulltime starter in 2021 and 2022 but tore his ACL in
October 2022. He returned from the knee injury for the start of training camp last summer but began the 2023 season as a backup to DeShon Elliott,
his former college teammate at Texas. Jones ultimately started six games because of injuries on the team and recorded 48 tackles and two interceptions. The Dolphins selected Jones in the third round of the 2020 draft. Jones appeared in 54 games and made 30 starts, recording 238 tackles, eight sacks and nine pass breakups. In 2021, he led all safeties with five sacks.
The loss of Van Ginkel only exacerbates the Dolphins’ need to add edge rusher depth, as Bradley Chubb (Achilles) and Jaelan Phillips (ACL) are rehabbing significant leg injuries they sustained in the second half of the 2023 season. Their availability for the start of the 2024 season is unknown.
Also, outside linebacker Cameron Goode tore his patellar tendon Jan. 7 against the Buffalo Bills, and his status for the start of the season remains in doubt.
Van Ginkel recorded a career-high six sacks in 11 starts last season. There was mutual interest in a return but Miami was unable or unwilling to pay what Minnesota could. Van Ginkel closed his Dolphins career with 250 tackles and 17 sacks in 73 games and 42 starts.
Miami Herald sportswriter Barry Jackson contributed to this report.