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Las Vegas Raiders News & Rumors

Raiders To Extend QB Geno Smith

April 3rd, 2025 at 10:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders have a deal done with Geno Smith. They are giving the trade acquisition a two-year extension, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. This will keep the ex-Seahawks starter under contract through 2027.

It appears initial reports, like when Smith signed his 2023 Seahawks contract, featured a slight inflation. Smith’s Raiders deal will be worth $75MM, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Earlier reports indicated the deal checked in at $85.5MM, though Schefter indicates that represents the pact’s max value. Smith’s new contract will come with $66.5MM guaranteed, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports.

This represents a bridge deal for both parties, though Smith’s age may well make this his final starter-level contract. Set to turn 35 in October, Smith had angled for a deal north of $40MM per year. That aim prompted the Seahawks to trade their three-year starter rather than agree to his price. The Raiders, after being prepared to give Matthew Stafford a big guarantee in a trade, pounced and reunited him with Pete Carroll.

This marks Carroll’s second time signing off on a Smith starter-level contract, as he was in place as the Seahawks’ top decision-maker when they gave him a three-year, $75MM deal in 2023. That turned out to bring good value for the Seahawks, who held Smith to the deal even as he pushed for a new one in 2024. Although Smith could not quite reach that $40MM-per-year point during his Raiders talks, the reclamation project did secure a significant raise.

At $37.5MM per year, Smith again will come in with a lower-middle-class contract on a skyrocketing QB market. When Smith signed his $25MM-AAV deal in March 2023, the league had not seen the $50MM-per-year club form. It has now, with 10 passers comprising it. Smith only moves up a few spots on the QB salary list, and it is certainly no coincidence his new AAV matches Derek Carr‘s Saints number.

Though, it is notable the Raiders were only comfortable matching that — as Carr secured those terms when the cap resided at barely $224MM. It is now at $279.2MM, inviting questions about the Raiders’ commitment level. The Raiders were ready to give Stafford a deal that included at least $90MM guaranteed. The Rams standing down and retaining their starter forced the Raiders and Giants to look elsewhere, and both teams approved cheaper contracts to address their QB voids.

Rather than dive into the free agent QB market and enter a draft chock full of maligned passing prospects, the Raiders traded a third-round pick for Smith. They are catching the former second-rounder going into his 13th NFL season, but these terms align with Carroll’s stopgap coaching contract. The Raiders gave Carroll a three-year deal, one aimed at bringing stability to an organization that has lacked it for many years. We now have a timeline on the latest Carroll-Smith partnership, as this contract buys the AFC West club some time to find a true long-term option.

It also should not be viewed as a random occurrence that Smith’s deal surpasses Sam Darnold‘s new Seattle AAV, which is $33.5MM. The Seahawks have been out of the franchise-QB payment game since trading Russell Wilson to the Broncos, and rather than reunite with Wilson, Carroll chose Smith and now has him tied to the NFL’s 16th-highest QB contract. This should give the Raiders some flexibility, though it will be interesting to learn what the guarantee at signing is.

The Raiders gave Carr two franchise-QB-level extensions, the first (in 2017) setting an NFL record and the second (in 2022) being a clear bridge deal while the Josh McDaniels-led regime evaluated the fit. As the fit proved poor, the Raiders soon lost their QB stability by cutting Carr. They have moved on from their past two Week 1 starters — Jimmy Garoppolo, Gardner Minshew — via post-June 1 cuts. Smith will enter 2025 — barring a surprise first-round QB draft choice — on steadier ground compared to his two veteran predecessors in Vegas, though this contract length does invite questions beyond 2025.

New Raiders GM John Spytek said recently the Raiders want Smith as their starter for “years to come.” Smith may well have the inside track to be the Silver and Black’s starter in 2026 as well, but the Raiders figure to do more QB homework ahead of next year’s draft; as of now, that crop looks better than what the 2025 draft presents. Smith, however, will have a chance to keep his post-30 momentum going.

Although Smith bettered his Comeback Player of the Year completion rate (69.8, a number that led the league in 2022) by connecting on 70.4% of his throws last season, he threw 15 interceptions. Smith’s yards-per-attempt number (7.5) matched his 2022 breakthrough, but he was also working with a skill-position group better than what he inherits in Las Vegas. Brock Bowers delivered a historic tight end rookie season, but questions about for the Raiders at the other spots. How Spytek, Carroll and Tom Brady address the receiver position will play a key role in how their QB trade asset fares.

Prior to acquiring Carr, the Raiders carried an extensive history of late-career QB projects — from Carson Palmer to Rich Gannon to Jeff George to Jeff Hostetler to Jim Plunkett. While the Garoppolo swing and miss highlighted an overmatched regime, Carroll’s familiarity with Smith should help the Raiders pick up the pieces after a rough period.

Patriots Trading Joe Milton To Cowboys

April 3rd, 2025 at 10:19pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Patriots are trading quarterback Joe Milton to the Cowboys, per FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz.

Dallas will send one of its fifth-round compensatory picks in April’s draft to New England in exchange for Milton and a seventh-rounder, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. The Patriots received the 171st overall pick and the Cowboys now have the 217th overall pick, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

Milton was a sixth-round pick in 2024 who spent his rookie year as the Patriots’ QB3 behind No. 3 pick Drake Maye and veteran Jacoby Brissett. The 6-foot-5, 246-pound Milton brings a rare set of physical tools, including an especially powerful arm. He impressed in his lone appearance last season, completing 22 of his 29 passes for 241 yards, one touchdown, and a 111.4 passer rating in Week 18 against the Bills.

That performance helped to generate some trade buzz surrounding Milton, which picked up after the Patriots signed Joshua Dobbs. Dobbs arrived in New England to take over Brissett’s role, keeping Milton third on the depth chart with little potential for playing time. Milton was not seen as “an ideal backup” for Maye, according to Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald. The team even told Dobbs that they were looking to trade Milton in order to build their quarterback room around Maye and prioritize his development, per Breer.

Milton also wanted out of New England, seeing himself as a future starter and knowing he would have a better chance at seeing the field elsewhere, both in the short- and long-term. The Patriots granted permission for Milton to seek a trade, per Schultz, and the Cowboys “showed the most interest from the start.” The two teams had been negotiating for a few weeks before talks accelerated at league meetings in Florida, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer.

A number of other teams expressed interest in trading for Milton, according to Schultz, including the Raiders, Eagles, Giants, and Steelers. The Patriots had at least one better offer on the table, but worked with Milton to send him to his preferred landing spot in Dallas.

“My family grew up a Cowboys fan,” said Milton (via Schultz). “My mom always had a Cowboys shirt on. She always talked about them. Living in Texas has been a longtime dream of mine. And now I’m with them. I’m ready to work.”

Milton will arrive in Dallas as the presumptive backup to Dak Prescott. The Cowboys explored an extension with 2024 backup Trey Lance after Prescott went down last season, per Archer, but the former No. 3 pick remains a free agent. Dallas also had interest in Brissett and Drew Lock in free agency, according to Archer.

Milton has three years and $3.2MM remaining on his contract, per OverTheCap, while Brissett’s shorter, two-year deal with the Cardinals is worth three times as much. With Prescott still commanding the highest salary in the NFL, the Cowboys opted to trade for a young, cost-controlled with developmental upside over the next three years.

Raiders Aiming For Long-Term QB Geno Smith Deal

March 31st, 2025 at 8:30am CST by Adam La Rose

MARCH 31: More than three weeks after the Raiders’ Smith trade, the three-year Seahawks starter remains on his Seattle deal. But Carroll confirmed (via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson) the team is “working on” an extension for its new QB1. Carroll was with Seattle when the team re-signed Smith in 2023, and while longtime Seahawks copilot John Schneider did not see eye-to-eye with the passer’s camp about value on a new contract, Carroll’s new team is all set to sign off on one.

MARCH 28: The Raiders have their quarterback of the present in the form of Geno Smith, and he will reunite with head coach Pete Carroll for the 2025 campaign. Smith’s time in Vegas could stretch well beyond the final year of his current deal, of course.

The Seahawks quickly realized a new accord would not be worked out this offseason, prompting the decision to trade Smith and turn their attention to Sam Darnold. One season remains on the current pact for the Raiders’ new QB1, and shortly after his arrival signs began pointing to an extension being worked out. One is not in place yet, although optimism remains that an agreement will be reached shortly.

When speaking about the Smith acquisition, new Raiders general manager John Spytek noted Carroll’s presence played a role in the move. That comes as no surprise, since the veteran head coach worked with Smith in Seattle from 2020-23. During that stretch, the two-time Pro Bowler had a pair of seasons atop the QB depth chart in the wake of the Russell Wilson trade and played his way into an extension averaging $25MM per season. A much higher asking price is in play this time around.

“The compensation from a draft-capital standpoint wasn’t so costly,” Spytek said during an appearance on the team’s Upon Further Review podcast. “I love my picks more than anybody… But, listen, we used a late third-round pick to hopefully have our starting quarterback here for years to come. And it was just too good of an opportunity to pass up.

“When you’ve watched Geno through the years, he can throw the football with the best of any of them, honestly,” Spytek added. “I mean, you watch some of the throws he makes over and over again downfield, you know, short, intermediate. The touch is there, the arm strength is there.”

Smith, 34, has stated a desire to continue his career to the point of 20 NFL seasons. That goal could very well include a lengthy Raiders tenure if a new deal can be worked out soon, although the draft looms as a means of adding a long-term answer at the position. Vegas is set to select sixth overall next month, and the team has frequently been connected to Shedeur Sanders. A drop out of the first round – and more specifically the top 10 – is not expected in the Colorado product’s case, meaning the Raiders would need to be aggressive in pursuing him.

The remainder of the draft will of course offer Spytek and Co. other opportunities to acquire a young passer, something which makes the Smith extension situation an interesting one. If a long-term arrangement is indeed the team’s goal, it would come as no surprise if negotiations on that front picked up before the start of the draft.

Raiders To Sign LB Devin White

March 28th, 2025 at 2:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tom Brady already brought in one of the Buccaneers’ former Super Bowl LV starters, adding Alex Cappa. The new Raiders part-owner will now add another of his former Tampa Bay teammates.

Devin White is joining the Raiders on a one-year deal, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz tweets. New Raiders GM John Spytek was in Tampa when the Bucs drafted White fifth overall. Despite White washing out of Philly quickly, he will have a rebound opportunity in Vegas.

The Raiders lost linebacker starters Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo in free agency (to the Patriots and Falcons, respectively) and have not done much to replace him. Elandon Roberts is on a one-year, $3MM contract. While the draft will be a key area for the Raiders to upgrade, they will take a flier on White, whose value has cratered since the Bucs picked up his fifth-year option.

Given a one-year, $4MM deal to join the Eagles last year, White received more at signing than Zack Baun. The latter surged to a breakthrough season that ended with a first-team All-Pro nod; White did not play a down for Vic Fangio‘s defense. The Eagles released the LSU in early October, doing so after he had an opportunity to land a starting role. Instead, Baun joined Nakobe Dean as Philly’s primary starters. White finished out last season with the Texans, who used him in seven games (one start).

Even the $4MM Eagles agreement represented a massive step down for White, who is the most recent off-ball linebacker to have seen his option exercised. White made $11.7MM on the option in 2023, but he did not finish the season as full-time Bucs LB. Clashing with the team about his role and an injury situation — and accusations of freelancing — White lost time to K.J. Britt alongside Lavonte David. White, 27, believes the trade request he made during the 2023 offseason — one aimed at landing a top-five ILB extension elsewhere — damaged his reputation inside the Bucs’ building. But his 2024 did not support the theory his Tampa finale was an outlier.

White has a notable past against the Raiders, having delivered one of his best performances during a Bucs win in Vegas during the 2020 season. He recorded three sacks, 11 tackles and a forced fumble during that game, with it playing a central role in the second-level defender’s second-team All-Pro season. White totaled nine sacks and 140 tackles in his second season, which preceded two more 120-plus-tackle slates. Despite the accolades, White saw Pro Football Focus consistently rate him as one of the NFL’s worst LB regulars. After ranking him outside the top 60 in 2019 and ’20, PFF slotted the Bucs’ David sidekick outside the top 70 at the position from 2021-23. White only played 176 snaps last season.

A controversy involving a White foot injury, which prompted an NFL investigation into the situation, brought Britt into a regular role late in the 2023 season. White has not regained one since that development, playing just 40 defensive snaps in Tampa Bay’s two 2023 playoff games. The Raiders will offer a chance at redemption. though they almost definitely will add at least one more starter-caliber player here even after the Roberts and White signings.

WR Hunter Renfrow Met With Panthers, To Visit Raiders

March 28th, 2025 at 9:00am CST by Sam Robinson

After not seeing a Raiders extension translate to steady production, Hunter Renfrow did not see a 2024 free agency stay lead to much interest. The former 1,000-yard receiver spent last season out of football, but comeback roads may be opening.

Two visits have materialized for the veteran slot player. Renfrow met with the Panthers this week, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, who report the five-year Raider also has a meeting booked with his former team. Renfrow, who was not linked to any teams following his 2024 Las Vegas exit, is visiting the Raiders today.

Two Raider regimes effectively gave up on the Clemson alum. Renfrow proved a poor fit in Josh McDaniels‘ offense, seeing his role decrease despite the McDaniels-Dave Ziegler duo extending him — on a two-year, $32MM deal — months after arrival. One-and-done Raiders GM Tom Telesco then released him. A year later, the Pete Carroll-John Spytek-Tom Brady operation will still take a look at a fit.

Months after trading Davante Adams to the Jets, the Raiders have a glaring wide receiver need. McDaniels-era pickup Jakobi Meyers, who quietly eclipsed 1,000 yards in 2024, is going into a contract year. The team did see slot Tre Tucker, a McDaniels-Ziegler draftee who took over for Renfrow, show some promise via a 539-yard 2024. But more help will be needed to complement Brock Bowers next season. Although natural Tyler Lockett ties exist, the Raiders have not been closely connected to the Seahawks cap casualty since he became available.

Renfrow, 29, helped the Raiders after their 2019 Antonio Brown trade and 2020 Henry Ruggs draft choice proved spectacular missteps. The 2019 fifth-round pick delivered back-to-back 600-yard seasons before posting a 1,038-yard showing in 2021, helping Las Vegas to a surprising playoff run despite Jon Gruden‘s midseason exit. That season earned Renfrow an extension, but he did not build on it under McDaniels, who phased him out of the offense. Renfrow, whom the Raiders attempted to trade for an extended period before last year’s release, combined for just 585 yards between the 2022 and ’23 seasons.

The Panthers changed up their receiver room considerably last year, acquiring and then trading Diontae Johnson and then dealing 2023 second-round pick Jonathan Mingo to the Cowboys. Adam Thielen is set to return for his age-35 season, and Xavier Legette totaled 497 rookie-year yards. Carolina has not made a notable receiver addition this offseason. Renfrow is a South Carolina native, and he will gain some intel about a return to the league following his two-meeting week.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/26/25

March 26th, 2025 at 8:11pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Draft Rumors: Visits, Green, Nolen, RBs

March 25th, 2025 at 9:58pm CST by Ely Allen

As the 2025 NFL Draft continues to draw nigh, teams are beginning to do their due diligence on each prospect, including hosting several for visits.

A perfect example of this saw the Saints host a bevy of Longhorns for a dinner last night, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. The list of Texas prospects included possible first-rounders cornerback Jahdae Barron and wide receiver Matthew Golden as well as defensive tackle Vernon Broughton and quarterback Quinn Ewers.

The Saints weren’t the only team to spend time with Ewers yesterday, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. Both the Jets and Raiders sent staffers to meet with the 22-year-old in Austin prior to the team’s pro day. Ewers has several visits planned following today’s pro day, as well, including meetings with the Cowboys, Colts, and Raiders, again, in early April.

Another potential Longhorn first-rounder, wide receiver Isaiah Bond, has also reportedly set up a number of visits following today’s pro day, per CJ Vogel of On Texas Football. Bond apparently has top-30 visits scheduled in the next month with the Falcons, Bears, Packers, and Rams.

Here are some more rumors concerning the 2025 NFL Draft:

  • East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. is making the rounds, as well. After previously meeting with New Orleans, Revel reportedly visited the Texans on Friday, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. Revel is attempting to make a speedy recovery from a torn ACL that ended his final collegiate season after only three games. He’s reportedly on track to be ready to return in time for training camp.
  • One of Revel’s top competitors at the position in this year’s class, Michigan cornerback Will Johnson, is set to meet with the Raiders, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Johnson has already met with the Falcons and reportedly met with the Cardinals already, as well.
  • Already having met with the Saints and Falcons, Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. is set to meet with several other franchises, per Wilson. One of the top tackle options in the class, Conerly has visits planned with the Texans, Eagles, Commanders, Bengals, and Bears. Wilson adds that, at the NFL Scouting Combine, Conerly already formerly met with the Texans, Jets, Titans, Patriots, Raiders, Commanders, and 49ers.
  • Marshall’s pro day garnered a few more visitors than usual today, thanks to the presence of potential first-round pass rusher Mike Green. According to Tony Pauline of sportskeeda, while several teams sent personnel to check Green out, the Falcons sent most of their front office as well as head coach Raheem Morris. Pauline adds that the Commanders also held a significant presence at the pass rusher’s pro day.
  • Due to the draft being more deep than top-heavy, there are several prospects who receive a wide range of opinions on when and where they’ll go in the draft. According to Matt Miller of ESPN, though, no player has a wider range than Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen. Transferring within the conference from Texas A&M for the final year of his collegiate career, Nolen had a strong, consensus All-American season with the Rebels, totaling 48 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, and 14 tackles for loss. Despite the impressive performance, Miller claims that “teams are torn on (Nolen’s) lack of refined pass-rush moves,” resulting in projections from the top 10 all the way back to the second round.
  • Last year was the second time in the three years that we saw no running backs taken in the first round of the draft. According to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, we could see two running backs hear their names called on Day 1 of the event this year. A running backs coach told Schultz that “there’s no way (Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty) falls outside the top 15-20 picks.” Jeanty has been projected in multiple mock drafts to both the Raiders at No. 6 overall and the Cowboys at No. 12. While the position is deep, with players like Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson, Ohio State’s duo of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, Miami’s Damien Martinez, and several others, it’s North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton who may have played himself into the first round with Jeanty. Schultz claims that a personnel director told him the only thing Hampton needed to do in order to go in Round 1 was run in the 4.4’s at the combine, and Hampton ran a 4.46. He may not get taken as high as Jeanty, but he should still be considered a first-round candidate come the end of April.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/25/25

March 25th, 2025 at 8:31pm CST by Ely Allen

Tuesday’s minor transactions:

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Thomas’ seven-year stay in Carolina has come to an end. After not missing a game for the first five years of his career, Thomas has missed half the games over the past two seasons. Despite making 54 starts in 99 games over that time, Thomas has never excelled as a receiving tight end, totaling just 1,062 yards in his career and not scoring a touchdown since 2020. He has made his name, mostly, as a strong pass blocker and will likely continue in that role in Vegas with the Raiders already rostering one of the best receiving tight ends in the NFL.

Stinnie, a six-year veteran, has started 15 games in his career. Most of those came in 2023 with the Buccaneers, but he did make three starts for New York near the end of the season while appearing in 16 games.

Sims has journeyed throughout the NFL in his six-year career, playing for four teams over that time. While he made moderate receiving contributions during his early years in the league, Sims has mostly functioned as an option in the return game for the teams he’s played with.

Over the course of his rookie contract, Opeta started 10 of 38 game appearances for the Eagles, including six starts in 2023. He signed with the Buccaneers for his second NFL contract last year, but a torn ACL kept him out of the 2024 season.

AFC West Notes: Bolts, Broncos, Wilkins

March 25th, 2025 at 5:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Retaining Najee Harris was believed to still be a Steelers option this winter, but the team had declined its starting running back’s fifth-year option last May. Passing on that opened the door to the 2021 first-rounder becoming a one-contract Steeler, and Harris said (via ESPN.com’s Kris Rhim) he began to believe late last season he was on his way out. The Steelers do not negotiate with players in-season, but serious re-signing talks did not emerge this offseason. Harris landed a one-year, $5.25MM deal with the Chargers.

The Miami alum said Jim Harbaugh was a lead reason he signed with the Bolts. The team ramped up its run-game usage last season and has since cut Gus Edwards. Primary starter J.K. Dobbins is also a free agent. He of four 1,000-yard seasons, Harris is almost definitely set to start for the Bolts this season. The Steelers slapped a second-round RFA tender on Jaylen Warren and signed ex-Eagles backup Kenneth Gainwell in free agency.

Here is the latest from the AFC West:

  • Staying on the running back beat here, the Broncos have not replaced Javonte Williams (who signed with the Cowboys). With a deep running back draft approaching, the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson views it as a near-certainty the team will bolster this position come April. The Broncos hold picks in the first three rounds for the first time since 2021, before the Russell Wilson and Sean Payton trades depleted their draft capital. Having addressed linebacker, safety and tight end in free agency, Denver should have a clearer runway to add to its backfield during the first three rounds.
  • Elsewhere on Denver’s roster, the team already turned to Jonathon Cooper‘s contract — agreed to at the midseason point — as a restructure avenue. The team moved Cooper’s $4MM roster bonus into a signing bonus, per the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel, who adds the team created $3.2MM in cap space via the adjustment. The Nik Bonitto sidekick remains signed, at $13.5MM per year, through the 2028 season.
  • The Broncos also replaced fired inside linebacker coach Michael Wilhoite, hiring former college DC Jeff Schmedding, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Schmedding, 47, comes over after two seasons as Washington State’s DC. He was Auburn’s DC in 2022 and Boise State’s from 2019-20. This Broncos ILB post will be Schmedding’s first NFL job.
  • Back to the restructure topic, the Raiders cleared out cap room by turning to Christian Wilkins‘ monster deal. Las Vegas converted Wilkins’ $20.5MM roster bonus, which was due earlier this month, into a signing bonus. That will spread out the D-tackle’s cap hits over the life of the contract and free up 2025 cap room, with the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore indicating the team created $15MM in space. The Raiders hold $50.9MM in cap space as of Tuesday, according to OverTheCap.
  • Winding up some Chargers contract matters, the team added two defenders on low-end deals. The Bolts’ accord with defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand is for one year and $2.35MM, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets, adding $1.93MM is guaranteed. Hand can earn another $1MM via playing-time incentives. Hand, 29, started two games for the Dolphins last season; he had previously gone since 2020 without starting a game. Linebacker Del’Shawn Phillips‘ Bolts deal is worth $2MM over one year, per OverTheCap. The team is guaranteeing Phillips $700K, between a $400K signing bonus and a partial salary guarantee, Wilson adds. Phillips, 28, will reunite with Chargers GM Joe Hortiz, who was a Ravens exec during the reserve LB’s two-year run in Baltimore.

Patriots To Match Raiders’ Christian Elliss Offer Sheet

March 25th, 2025 at 1:42pm CST by Adam La Rose

MARCH 25: The Raiders designed a two-year, $13.5MM offer sheet, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. With the Patriots matching it, the proposal now doubles as a significant New England raise for the young linebacker.

MARCH 24: Christian Elliss signed an offer sheet with the Raiders last week, leaving the Patriots in position to either match it or allow him to depart without any compensation coming back. New England has taken the former route.

The Patriots will match the Elliss offer sheet, as first reported by ESPN’s Mike Reiss. The move locks in the two-year deal which would have otherwise sent him to Vegas. Elliss will carry a cap charge of $4.84MM this season, one in which he was originally slated to earn $3.26MM on his RFA tender.

Elliss began his career with the Eagles, operating as a key special teams presence during his time with them. He was waived late in the 2023 campaign, though, and the Patriots’ decision to claim him set him up for a New England stint. The 26-year-old made five starts across his 16 appearances last season, and while he remained a core special teams contributor he took on a defensive workload as well. Elliss logged 513 defensive snaps in 2024, by far the most of his career.

The Idaho product received the original-round tender to prevent him from reaching unrestricted free agency. That move set Elliss up for a cost-effective 2025 deal, but it opened the door to an offer sheet since no compensation would have been included for the former undrafted free agent (which would have been the case had New England applied the more expensive second-round tender). The Raiders lost Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo in free agency, and Elliss would have been able to handle a notable defensive role aimed at helping to replace them at the second level of the team’s defense.

Instead, Vegas will look elsewhere on the free agent market and the draft to address the linebacker position. Elliss, meanwhile, will remain in place on a Patriots team which added Spillane on a three-year deal and reunited head coach Mike Vrabel with former Titan Jack Gibbens. Ja’Whaun Bentley and Jahlani Tavai are in place as holdovers from last season, and Elliss will look to carve out a role among the mix of new additions and returnees.

He will do so with financial security for the next two years, though, and it will be interesting to see how he is used moving forward. The Patriots entered Monday with more than $80MM in remaining cap space, so they will easily be able to afford the added cost of keeping Elliss in place.

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