11:13am: A deal is in place. The Raiders are keeping Stokes, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who reports the sixth-year corner is back onboard via a three-year deal worth $30MM. Of that total, Stokes will see $20MM guaranteed. This marks a massive raise from Stokes’ one-year compensation from 2025.
10:52am: The legal tampering period begins in a few minutes, opening the door for free agents-to-be testing the market. With other offers on tap, Eric Stokes is receiving internal interest before the final bell of Raiders exclusive negotiation rights.
Las Vegas is making a push to re-sign the veteran cornerback, CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reports. The former Packers first-round pick completed a bounce-back season in Vegas, avoiding injuries and working as a full-time starter. He was one of the few bright spots during a 3-14 season, likely raising his price in the process. The sides are believed to have made some progress, per Zenitz.
Stokes, who battled injuries for most of his Green Bay stay, started 16 games under Pete Carroll and saw Pro Football Focus assign him a 20th-place overall ranking among corners. The speedy former first-rounder will almost definitely command a deal well north of his one-year, $3.5MM terms from 2025. The Raiders, after the Maxx Crosby trade, lead the NFL in cap space and need to do work to reach the salary floor (measured over a three-year period). Stokes could be one of the beneficiaries.
The 16 starts brought a career-high mark for Stokes, who missed 14 games in 2023 after suffering a season-ending injury midway through the 2022 season. Foot and hamstring trouble were the primary impediments for Stokes in Green Bay, and the Packers did not use him as a primary starter in Jeff Hafley’s 2024 DC debut. The Raiders were light on cornerbacks after letting Nate Hobbs join the Packers in free agency, but Stokes gave them a locked-in answer — as just about everything else on the roster fell apart.
It will be interesting to see what Stokes will command — from the Raiders or another team — as a second-time free agent. Even if Stokes re-signs, the Raiders have more work to do at corner as a new DC (Rob Leonard) takes over.
They kind of had to re-sign him.
Went from promising rookie, to made of glass bum, back to promising.