Wilkins Deal Getting Bigger?

Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Christian Wilkins currently is scheduled to play on his fifth-year option as a 2019 first-round pick

Christian Wilkins had all kinds of reasons to be happy Thursday.

The big extension signed by New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence was exciting because the two were teammates at Clemson and Wilkins has remained tight with his former college teammates since entering the NFL.

Oh, and just as important — if not more important — Wilkins' extension provided another benchmark for Wilkins and his agent (David Mulugheta) as they eye his own extension.

Lawrence's deal reportedly is worth $90 million over four years, with $60 million guaranteed.

The Lawrence extension comes a few weeks after the Tennessee Titans gave another defensive tackle, Jeffery Simmons, a four-year extension reportedly worth $94 million, with $59 million guaranteed. A month before that, Washington defensive tackle Daron Payne got a four-year, $90 million extension.

So what's this have to do with Wilkins?

Wilkins is among a group of talented young defensive tackles — yes, Wilkins sometimes is classified as a defensive end — who entered the offseason in line for an extension, along with Simmons, Lawrence, Payne, and Quinnen Williams of the New York Jets.

Like Wilkins, Williams currently is scheduled to play on his fifth-year option in 2023.

In his first four NFL seasons, Wilkins has given the Dolphins a total of 290 tackles, with 33 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, 27 QB hits, 2 forced fumbles and 4 fumble recoveries.

Among the four who have played four seasons (Payne has played five), Wilkins easily has the most tackles, and he's tied with Williams for most tackles for loss, but he's clearly behind in sacks and QB hits.

So how much the Dolphins — or eventually other teams — are willing to pay Wilkins might come down to what they value most. To be sure, Wilkins is an elite run defender with limitations as a pass rusher.

THE OPTIONS WITH CHRISTIAN WILKINS

Because he's already locked in for 2023 with the fifth-year option at $10.6 million, the Dolphins technically don't have to do anything in terms of an extension, and actually might want to wait to see if his contributions as a pass rusher can increase in new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's scheme.

Even without an extension next offseason, the Dolphins also could use the franchise tag to keep Wilkins in 2024, and that number figures to be somewhere around $21-22 million for defensive linemen.

The Dolphins' recent history in not giving drafted defensive tackles a second contract suggests there's no guarantee an extension is coming for Wilkins, particularly when we consider all the large financial commitments the team already has made.

But it also could be that the Dolphins decide they need to keep Wilkins around as they try to build a perennial contender. If this is how it shakes out, Wilkins likely will remember this day as a very good one for him.