Key Defender ‘Holding In,’ Seeks New Contract From Patriots’ Rival

We’ve seen the New England Patriots go through it time and again.

It’s a nice thing when you can stockpile young talent on a football roster, giving yourself the financial flexibility to maximize talent in two-to-three-year windows. That flexibility doesn’t last forever, though, as keeping the band together is a lot easier said than done.

You’re seeing it with New England’s conundrum of which player(s) they can keep between Kyle Dugger, Michael Onwenu and Josh Uche, who are all set hit free agency together. They’re not the only ones forced to make big-money decisions on home-grown talent, however.

The Miami Dolphins and former first-round defensive tackle Christian Wilkins are currently negotiating a new contract, with the 27-year-old holding himself out of team drills until the sides can get a deal done.

“Christian’s such a good player, such an important person in the locker room (and) has made it clear that he feels his play is deserving of a contract,” Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said, per video provided by Omar Kelly. “We would agree, as the Miami Dolphins organization. Henceforth, we are in negotiations, and as a result, he hasn’t been participating (with) the team, and when he next participates, that’ll be up to him.”

Wilkins is in the final year of his rookie contract, set to earn nearly $11 million under the fifth-year option in 2023. The money he does receive will be well-earned, as the Clemson product has started 60 of the 64 games he’s appeared in and registered eight sacks, 26 tackles for loss and 20 quarterback hits since 2021.

The Patriots faced a similar situation early in camp, but were able to resolve a contract-related “hold in” with star pass rusher Matthew Judon.

Miami might not be inclined to give him much in terms of guaranteed money, however, as they’ll need to make a money decision on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, pass rusher Jaelan Phillips and safety Jevon Holland over the next two years.