It is no secret that the Las Vegas Raiders are in a bit of a contract dispute with starting left tackle Kolton Miller. The longtime starter initially sat out of the team's offseason workouts before re-joining the team after the draft, and he has not missed a day since.
However, Miller's camp has reportedly been adamant that they would like to get a deal done before the year begins. Otherwise, the seven-year veteran will have no guaranteed money on his contract this season and will hit the open market during the 2026 offseason.
Even Miller himself admitted that he wants to remain with the Silver and Black, as the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Vincent Bonsignore pointed out.
"Miller has said he wants to be a Raider for life, and the club is open to re-signing him at the right price," Bonsignore wrote. "Finding that common ground could be a challenge. And Miller, who plays a premium position at left tackle, has to consider his worth on the open market."
Kolton Miller's situation is reminiscient of Josh Jacobs' Raiders departure
This sounds like precisely what Josh Jacobs went through during his contract disputes when he was still a member of the Raiders. Both players were first-round picks by the franchise and wanted to remain with the team, but fell victim to a lack of stability within the organization.
While these two are considered in the upper echelon in terms of players at their position in the NFL, a new regime came to Las Vegas and refused to extend them sight unseen. Jacobs was unable to strike a compromise with either the Josh McDaniels-Dave Ziegler regime or the tandem of Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco.
Both felt that they could replace Jacobs with younger or cheaper players, but that proved not to be the case. Las Vegas had the worst rushing attack in the entire league last season, whereas Jacobs put together a 1,671 all-purpose yard, 16-touchdown campaign for the Green Bay Packers.
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The new regime in Las Vegas of John Spytek and Pete Carroll is far more trustworthy than the previous decision-makers for the Raiders. However, it seems like they could be taking a similar approach in terms of moving on from an established player in favor of a young player with upside.
“Charles Grant, an athletic left tackle drafted in the third round this year, could play a role in the decision," Bonsignore said. "He’s likely to use 2025 as a development season. Depending on his progress, he could take over for Miller in the 2026 season.”
Hopefully, this regime has taken a look at the Raiders' recent history and will learn from the mistake of letting Jacobs walk. Of course, the team now has Ashton Jeanty in the backfield, but the franchise cannot rely on generational prospects to fall in their lap.
Spytek and Carroll need to figure out a way to keep Miller in Las Vegas. It is what the fan base wants, it is what Miller wants, but most importantly, it is the best thing for the Raiders. Miller is a top-flight left tackle in the league, and if his tenure with the Silver and Black ends up like Jacobs' did, it will be a sad day for the organization and Raider Nation.