Over the years, the Las Vegas Raiders have been simply dismal at making big decisions. This includes, but is not limited to, picking the wrong quarterback and head coach, making bad draft picks, poor usage of money during free agency, and letting the wrong guys leave. The list goes on and on.

Things have been so bad during the 2025 NFL season, however, that the Raiders should have a fairly clear vision of where to go: draft a young quarterback, and let most of their free agents walk because almost every position needs upgrading, and those in the building didn’t remotely get it done this year.

Plenty of players still under contract should be used as trade chips or be release candidates as well. Things have been that bad. However, as always, there are exceptions. Cornerback Eric Stokes came in on a prove-it deal last offseason, and boy, has he proved it.

Raiders should extend Eric Stokes on 3-year, $24 million deal (or more)

Stokes has morphed into the Raiders’ No. 1 cornerback, and he has been a shutdown player for much of the campaign. Despite playing nearly every defensive snap, he’s only given up 25 receptions for 251 yards and a touchdown this year for an opposing quarterback rating of 79.0 when targeted.

Unfortunately, Stokes is set to become an unrestricted free agent this spring, meaning any team could make a bid for him. Las Vegas would be smart to lock him up before he hits the open market. According to Spotrac, his market value is $7.3 million per year, which is palatable for the Raiders.

Las Vegas should even sweeten the deal a bit to keep him in town by offering Stokes a three-year, $24 million deal, which would come out to $8 million per year. That way, he can’t be swooned by other potential suitors come March, and he’d be locked into the Silver and Black.

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Considering the Raiders are set to have $121.8 million in available salary cap space this offseason, the second-most in the NFL, Las Vegas can easily afford this contract. They could even pay him more than the aforementioned contract if they truly believe in his abilities.

Now, some fans may be wondering why Stokes, who had a good season and could join several other winning franchises, would want to stay with the Raiders. Well, recently, Stokes told Ryan McFadden of ESPN that he wouldn’t mind staying in Las Vegas, so perhaps he likes the city or the team.

Raider Nation certainly wouldn’t fault Stokes for wanting to play elsewhere, especially if he was offered more money to do so. But general manager John Spytek should seriously consider this $24 million investment in Stokes to keep him around, and perhaps more.