NFL free agency: Raiders spend big with record contracts on day one

The Las Vegas Raiders have flexed their financial muscle on the first day of the legal tampering period in the NFL. 

The Raiders came in with a league-high $111.91 million when the legal tampering period opened on Monday, and they wasted no time revamping their roster in different ways, including shelling out a record-breaking deal. 

Center Tyler Linderbaum was perhaps the best offensive lineman available on the market, and the former Baltimore Ravens first-round pick is heading out to Sin City after agreeing to terms on a three-year, $81 million deal with $60 million guaranteed. He is now the highest-paid interior offensive lineman in NFL history, per ESPN. 

Linderbaum, 25, cemented himself as one of the best centers in the league when he came out of Iowa, providing a consistent presence snapping the ball to two-time league MVP Lamar Jackson while in Baltimore. 

But with John Harbaugh parting ways, making way for the hiring of head coach Jesse Minter, Linderbaum returning to the Ravens was never a done deal. He was expected to get a hefty long-term deal somewhere in the NFL, but Las Vegas, a team that struggled on the offensive line all through last season, made it worth his while to move to the AFC West. 

It wasn’t just Linderbaum, though. Players from all over were enticed by the Raiders, who opened up the coffers to land key free agent additions, including linebackers Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean. 

Dean agreed to terms before Walker, as the ex-Philadelphia Eagles linebacker is set to make $36 million with $20 million guaranteed. But Walker got more in the end: a $40.5 million deal over three years, including $28 million guaranteed, per his agents. 

Walker, a first-round choice of the Green Bay Packers in the 2022 NFL Draft, is coming off a career year, having tallied 128 tackles to help a solid defensive group in Green Bay. He’s a trusty tackler, notching at least 100 in each of his first four seasons. Only one Packers player since 1975 has been able to do that. 

As for Dean, the 25-year-old Georgia product has 226 total tackles across 47 games with the Eagles, including 7.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and 19 tackles for loss. 

Staying on the defensive side, Kwity Paye shores up the interior line, as the 2021 first-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts reached an agreement on a deal worth $48 million over three years with $32 million in guaranteed money. Paye is known for his ability in run defense, doing a great job setting the edge for his defense to ensure short gains. 

Cornerback Eric Stokes (three years, $30 million) and defensive end Malcom Koonce (one year, $11 million) also return to the Raiders, creating even more defensive reinforcement on the roster. 

Finally, the offensive pass game got a sneaky upgrade, as former Minnesota Vikings receiver Jalen Nailor agreed to terms on a $35 million deal with $23 million guaranteed across three years as well. 

The Raiders may not yet be done with their spending spree, as they have more cap room to work with. They also have the first overall pick in next month’s NFL Draft, where they’re expected to take Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza to start a new era under head coach Klint Kubiak, who is fresh off a Super Bowl title with the Seattle Seahawks. 

In a tough AFC West division, it feels like the Raiders are ready to turn the tides, hoping to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2021. Las Vegas has gone 7-27 combined since 2024. 

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