In the spirit of the city that they call home, the Las Vegas Raiders took somewhat of a gamble on Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. The first-round talent had some serious injury concerns, but he may very well still be the steal of the class.
Leading up to training camp, however, Raider Nation has been concerned both about his availability and the fact that he hadn't signed his rookie deal. Because he wasn't a traditional fourth-round pick, the assumption was that McCoy wanted to maximize the money allocated to his draft slot.
Well, regardless of what the two sides agreed upon, it seems that they have agreed to a deal on training camp eve. With the Raiders' rookies reporting on Thursday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that McCoy intends on signing his deal in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
Las Vegas Raiders CB Jermod McCoy to sign rookie deal before training camp
Now, with the Raiders having crossed their T's and dotted their I's with the young cornerback before padded practices begin, all eyes can be fixated on how much and how well McCoy plays. He certainly looked the part at OTAs, according to reports, but he also missed quite a few practices.
It stands to reason that Las Vegas is keeping the welcome mat out for him as a starter, considering he was a top-15 prospect in the class, had he not been injured. On the high-end, he can be an elite, shutdown NFL cornerback, and that is what the Raiders are banking on.
But second-year pro Darien Porter looked more than solid during his rookie campaign and won't go down without a fight. Fifth-round rookie Hezekiah "Zeke" Masses also performed well in the offseason program, so Las Vegas isn't lost for answers if McCoy can't go.
Having his rookie deal inked and set in stone before throwing on the pads can give him and the organization some peace of mind, though, which is always a good thing for a young player. McCoy needs to be solely focused on rehab, preventative care and diving into a new system and playbook.
According to Spotrac, the No. 101 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft should receive around $5,549,727 on a four-year deal. That's quite a bit different than the $23,760,590 or more he would have made, had he been selected based purely on talent at No. 15 or earlier.
The details of the contract, at least to most of Raider Nation, aren't that important. It's semantics. But if McCoy and Las Vegas both feel good about it, then fans have no reason to argue. And it is good to have it done before the real football starts. Just in the nick of time.
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