The Las Vegas Raiders are in a new era and are obviously trying to rebuild this operation from the ground up. It's been an active start to the legal tampering period for Vegas, as they have already handed out a ton of contracts on both sides of the ball.
Las Vegas has typically dipped its hand into free agency quite actively, so nothing is guaranteed, but with a ton of money to spend, extra NFL Draft picks due to the Maxx Crosby trade, and an incoming rookie quarterback, the Raiders could be building something notable for once.
As the first day of the legal tampering period wore on, two notable signings broke. It's important to note that the signings cannot become official until March 11th, which is Wednesday, but the deals that make their way around the NFL landscape get signed 99.99 percent of the time.
And the Raiders just got themselves a massive steal at linebacker.
Raiders are playing chess while the rest of the NFL plays checkers
Nakobe Dean is a flat-out good football player at a hugely important position, especially for the Raiders, who sorely need linebacker help. And he'll soon sign a three-year deal worth $36 million, which is both great for the player and for the team:
BREAKING: The #Raiders are signing former #Eagles LB Nakobe Dean to a 3/36M deal per sources.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 9, 2026
The former Georgia Bulldog started 27 games for Philadelphia and is one of the best blitzing linebackers in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/RmeuDd1x2i
Dean, just 25 years old, was a third-round draft pick by the Philadelphia Eagles back in the 2022 NFL Draft. Dean has struggled with injuries during his career, as he has played in 17, 5, 15, and 10 games in his first four seasons, but when he's on the field, great things happen.
He truly broke out in 2024, amassing four passes defended, one interception, three sacks, and 128 total tackles in 15 games for the Eagles. Last year, Dean amassed four sacks and 55 total tackles in 10 games.
RELATED: Raiders' Nakobe Dean signing should instantly end Devin White nightmare
The veteran linebacker is only set to play in his age-26 season and is someone who can wear the 'green dot' on defense, meaning he's an uber-smart linebacker who can relay the defensive play-call to the rest of the unit.
Vegas also added Quay Walker at linebacker, so it's really a totally new era. Now, yes, the big thing here with Dean is that you are kind of banking on his health, but $12 million per year, especially with how high the NFL salary cap is right now, is a huge indicator that Vegas got some nice value here.
The Raiders are likely going to continue making signings, perhaps ones that are more for fringe starters and depth pieces as they look to continue building up this roster for a new era in 2026 and beyond.