Dolphins' Christian Wilkins: Franchise tag deadline passes

The Dolphins did not place the franchise tag on Wilkins ahead of Tuesday's 4:00 p.m. EST deadline, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

The defensive tackle will hit free agency for the first time in his NFL career, after putting together his best season to date in 2023. While playing 17 games for a third straight campaign, Wilkins racked up 65 total tackles including 9.0 sacks, plus one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries, as he thrived both rushing quarterbacks and stuffing running backs. The fact that Wilkins didn't receive the franchise tag doesn't preclude Miami from re-signing him, but it seems almost guaranteed he'll be offered a contract on the open market sizable enough that the cap-strapped Dolphins can't match it.