Christian Wilkins – August 29, 2023
Download PDF version
Tuesday, August 29, 2023
DT Christian Wilkins
(I saw that you put on social media congratulations to DT Zach Sieler. How do you feel about him getting a deal with the club?) – “Honestly I couldn’t be more proud, more happy, more excited for someone than Zach Sieler honestly. He called me the morning of. He wanted to be the first to tell me. That’s been my brother since day one when he got here with like three games left in the season. I couldn’t be more happy, more proud of someone. All the work he’s put in, we were able to ride this thing out together since he came here. It was salt and pepper. Me and him always had a tight bound since day one. That was a great feeling. I was in his ear yelling on the phone when he called me. I’m sure he didn’t expect anything less, but I couldn’t be more proud, more excited, for someone to have that moment to get what they have been working so hard for all their life. He’s someone who started out literally living life in a trailer when he first got here. Now he’s on his second extension on the team. I couldn’t be more proud of him, just everything he’s worked for. Now he has enough money to finally buy that platinum grill he’s always wanted, or some of those tools, whatever the heck he’ll probably get. We just really had each other’s back throughout this whole process, and I’m so glad he was able to get what he wanted ultimately. I couldn’t be more happy for someone, in a lot of ways more happy than myself. I’ll challenge his wife Hannah – I’m more happy for him than she can ever be. I’m really excited about that.”
(Where do things stand with you? Obviously we saw the hold in. Are you back full now?) – “With all that, at this point I’m just focused on being the best teammate I can be and being there for my guys and getting ready to play a game and get focused on the season. As far as all of that goes, whether or not something gets done, my focus is on the season. We have a game to play in two weeks. Ultimately I’m just here to be the best teammate I can be, and be there for my guys the same way I’ve been all offseason, all training camp. That’s really what it comes down to.”
(On his contract negotiations) – “Like I said, whether or not something gets done, I’m just focused on being the best I can be for my guys, and getting ready to have the best year of my career, and for us to have the best year we can have as well.”
(What have you learned about the business process of the NFL from this experience?) – “I definitely learned a lot, and that’s a good thing. I’ll just say, at the end of the day, nobody wants to be a Miami Dolphin more than me. No one wants to work for this organization more than me. And that’s from Valerie at the front desk, to the coaches on the coaching staff, to Hubert who cleans up the building. Nobody wants to be a part of the organization more than myself. That’s how I feel, that’s what it is, that’s where I’m at with everything still. This is my home. I was drafted here, I love this place and I put my all to be the best player, the best leader, the best teammate, the best Miami Dolphin I can be. That’s not going to change. The organization deserves that, my teammates deserve that, the fans deserve that and everything.”
(We saw your excitement when you were talking about DT Zach Sieler’s deal and we see your energy on the field. How do you wrestle with the internal thoughts of not having something done given how much emotion you play with?) – “With all of that stuff, and everything that goes on, you have to be able to compartmentalize. I’m a professional. That’s business. You understand that part. But at the end of the day, that’s not going to change how I am, how I approach the game, how I approach just life. I still get to play football. At the end of the day, I want to be the best football player I can be. That mindset isn’t changing for anything. I’m really excited about that more than anything. I’m just going to make the most of it, have the same approach each and every day, and just have fun with this thing while I got it.”
(There are others who would’ve made waves, maybe ask to leave this team, trade, all of that. Why was that not something you would consider?) – “Well, just like I just said, no one wants to be a part of this organization more than I do. I love everything about being here. That’s not even a thought of mine or nothing like that to that point. I just want to be here at the end of the day.”
(There is a report that CB Noah Igbinoghene has been traded to Dallas. Are there times when a change of scenery could benefit a guy, and if he has been traded, is this one of those situations?) – “Yeah, it definitely could. Sometimes a change of scenery like you said, or a breath of fresh air, different things. I got a lot of respect for a guy like Noah. He’s always come in each and every day ready to work, whether it’s been good for him, whether it’s been bad for him, whatever. He just remained pretty consistent. I wish him all the best. I just always hope and want the best for my teammates regardless whether they go somewhere else or whether they are here, I always want them to do what’s best for them and do their thing. I’m excited about that.”
(Is there a heaviness that goes along with being a first-round pick?) – “Absolutely. There is obviously a lot of pressure and things like that. There definitely is. There are a lot of things that people don’t understand or really get to know but there is a lot of pressure that comes with that.”
