Getting rid of the stink from the 2025 NFL season was a clear priority for the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason. Perhaps no clearer example of this exists than the fact that John Spytek only re-signed three of the 21 Raiders veterans who hit free agency back in March. 11 of them remain unsigned.
The biggest of the re-signings was cornerback Eric Stokes, who inked a three-year, $30 million deal after massively outperforming his one-year prove-it contract from the previous offseason. And as much as money talks in the NFL, Stokes also wanted to stay in Las Vegas because of relationships.
It's a good thing that he did, too, because Stokes is a much-needed leader for a Raiders cornerback unit full of young players. So far at training camp, not only can the inexperienced guys coming along be attributed in part to Stokes' presence, but Stokes himself is proving to be worth every penny.
Eric Stokes is starring in Raiders' secondary after offseason payday
As I've said, playing corner is like being a soccer goalie: It can be thankless, as folks often don't give them credit for the solitude that strong play provides, and they get a disproportionate amount of the blame when something goes wrong. People only notice the big saves or the interceptions and PBUs.
When corners make a mistake, it is fairly obvious, more so than at other positions. So, fans shouldn't worry that it has been silent on the Stokes front during training camp. That doesn't mean that he hasn't made plays, but he's staying out of headlines, unlike those competing to start opposite him.
Early in camp, Stokes forced an incompletion on a ball thrown to Jalen Nailor and got praise for being sticky in coverage at practice, particularly in the 1-on-1 portion. He hasn't been without his lumps, however, as he got beat by Brock Bowers on the outside (who wouldn't?) and got flagged for PI.
But outside of those two reports, Stokes has only been highlighted for making PBUs, including one on rising rookie Malik Benson, and not giving up an inch in coverage, which has come from multiple on-hand reporters. Essentially, he's locking everyone up, this side of Bowers.
After committing to him for the next three seasons on a not-insignificant contract, this should be music to Raider Nation's ears. Once a first-round pick, Stokes is starting to recapture the form that he had during his tremendous rookie season with the Green Bay Packers. He's living up to his billing.
Stokes' impact isn't just felt by what he's done on the field, though. He is cultivating a great culture in the secondary and helping with the development of several promising youngsters in the Raiders' cornerback room.
Las Vegas' young DBs are massively benefitting from Eric Stokes' presence
During his press conference at the beginning of training camp, Stokes made it clear that he's no longer just a player in the Las Vegas secondary. He has to be a leader and a standard-bearer, and that begins with coaching up the young players and encouraging them.
"I want to be there for everybody, good, bad, ugly. It doesn't matter, I'mma be there," Stokes said. "I'm gonna be your best friend. Like man, I'm pretty much gonna rock with you, win, lose, or draw. I'm gonna be in your corner because you're my brother. I know everything we done put through, all of the blood, sweat, and tears. So, when Sunday come, I don't care about who in front of us, who out there. I know for a fact that you gonna have my back. Like I got your back.”
He also talked at length about how he isn't the only leader on the Raiders' defense, but that he still takes pride in the corners, specifically, developing early in their careers. When asked if the young players are coming to him or if he's seeking them out, Stokes revealed that it goes both ways.
"It's a little bit of both," Stokes admitted. "I'm pretty much an open book. So, if you got any questions, ask me. I'm not finna hold back. But then again, if I see something, I'm gonna go ahead and let you know how I see it and how I would play it, or how I would do things. If you take it, you take it. If you don't, you don't."
In his eyes, everyone is adapting quite well to that culture and embracing it. And even though Stokes is making sure that the rookies are the ones stocking the snack drawers in the cornerback room, the first-year guys still have plenty of great things to say about their veteran leader.
"You got E-Stokes [Eric Stokes], he's a big brother to me," Zeke Masses told reporters. "He tagging me along the way. He teaching me the ropes."
Jermod McCoy echoed this sentiment.
"Guys like [Eric] Stokes, [Jeremy] Chinn, Zay [Isaiah Pola-Mao], all those older vet guys. I ask them a lot of questions, just trying to learn more about the game," McCoy said. "It's way different from college, so I'm just trying to get myself to learn where they're at."
When it comes to Stokes in particular, McCoy touched on some specifics that the older corner is teaching him.
"I'd say the technique part, and then our pre-snap keys, just IDing things that we see. So, he's helped me a lot with all that."
From an on-field perspective and with what he provides the team's younger players, Stokes has been worth his $30 million weight in gold this offseason. It's tough to imagine that the Raiders will regret investing in him.
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