The ink was barely dry on Christian Wilkins‘ four-year, $110 million contract when things started going sideways. One year in, the Raiders pulled the plug, just like that. It wasn’t about production. And for a moment, it seemed that it wasn’t about the locker room drama either. At first glance, it looked like a brutal business decision. But under the surface, whispers grew louder: Wilkins was rehabbing a foot injury his own way, against the team’s wishes.

The Raiders’ medical staff had pushed for surgery. Wilkins, after getting second and third opinions, refused. That standoff quietly strained the relationship. Meanwhile, the Raiders, always conscious of their cap health and locker room tone, didn’t wait around. By releasing him, the Raiders avoided coughing up $35.2 million in guarantees. To fans, it felt like a cold move. To the front office? It was clean-cut cap preservation.

But just when everyone thought this was another classic injury dispute gone corporate, Adam Schefter came along and peeled back another layer of the story. Amidst all the chaos after Wilkins’ release, Schefter unfolded the Raiders’ locker room drama. “From speaking to people inside the locker room, I think what everybody’s dancing around and tap tiptoeing around is the fact that when you speak to people there inside the locker room, they say that Christian playfully went to kiss a teammate on top of his head and those same people said that that player took offense to it,” Schefter reported on The Pat McAfee Show.

“So that’s what everybody’s been dancing around and tap dancing around, an incident in the locker room where he allegedly playfully kissed a teammate on top of his head, [and] that teammate felt offended by it. And that’s what a lot of this talk and speculation that people have just been floating around out there is about.” The NFL Insider didn’t reveal the name of the player yet.

However, the way things have unfolded, it seems like that certain player had reported the locker room incident to the team. Though neither the team nor the player has confirmed that this particular incident led to the 29-year-old defensive tackle’s release. But Schefter’s report is telling a different tale. Besides, it makes things clear that the Raiders had no other choice.

Cutting ties with Wilkins mid-camp wasn’t plan A, but it became the only plan left. With training camp already in motion and preseason creeping closer, Christian Wilkins is now on the clock. He’ll need to find a new home, and fast, if he wants to suit up for a new team in week 1. For now, we can say that there will still be an explanation of this not-so-ideal situation. For now, Schefter has managed to report at least this much information.

How rough is the road ahead for Christian Wilkins?

When the Raiders unexpectedly released Christian Wilkins, it seemed like a business move. But with each passing day, this situation is revealing multiple layers. Count the football side of things, locker room drama, legal battle, and the financial side as well. While there’s still plenty to unpack from the locker room drama, let’s take a closer look at just how rough things are for Wilkins right now.

The Raiders signed the DT on a four-year $110 million deal last year ($84.75 million guaranteed). The guy appeared in just 5 games, recorded 17 tackles and 2.0 sacks, and still, it turned out to be a pricey season for the Raiders. In response to his unexpected release, Wilkins filed a noninjury grievance against his former team. It all started when he suffered a Jones fracture in the 2024 season.

Fast forward to OTAs this year, the Raiders urged him that he needed a second surgery on his foot, per The Athletic. However, the 29-year-old DT declined the surgery and opted to continue his rehab. The results? The Raiders decided to cut ties with him, at least it seemed so. But still, it’s still not what the grievance is about. Nope. Wilkins received $49.7 millions of his original contract, sure.

But the grievance was about the remaining $35.2 million guaranteed money that the Raiders voided. Again, he just played only 5 games. But it is what it is. That said, Christian Wilkins just found himself under a rough patch with the 2025 regular season inching closer. And let’s just say, the locker room drama just added fuel to the fire.