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Eric Stokes hugging Lonnie Johnson.
The Las Vegas Raiders gave out a lot of one-year deals in free agency last year, which means they have a lot of players hitting free agency this offseason. There aren’t many standouts among their free agents, but there’s one player who stands out as somebody they need to re-sign.
The Raiders took a flyer on cornerback Eric Stokes last offseason after a four-year stint with the Green Bay Packers. The former first-round pick has dealt with injury issues in the past, but has played 16 or more games in back-to-back years.
He cemented himself as a starter for the Raiders last season and was easily their best cornerback. He likely played himself into a nice contract. General manager John Spytek made it clear that the team is hoping to bring him back next season.
“We’ve had good dialogue with Eric about coming back,” Spytek told reporters on Tuesday. “We’re gonna keep working this week. I thought he played well this year. He was healthy, which was something in the past that kind of nipped him in the bud, but he played 16 games this year.
“Super happy with him. He competed. He did what I knew he was capable of. … I’d love to keep him around.”
Stokes Was Raiders’ ‘Unsung’ Hero
Stokes isn’t a random name who had a career season. He was an excellent college player who got drafted in the first round by one of the NFL’s premier franchises.
His problem was that he just couldn’t stay healthy for stretches in his career. He proved with the Raiders that he can be a high-end cornerback given the right opportunity. Kevin Patra of NFL.com named Stokes the Raiders’ “unsung hero” of the 2025 season.
“There weren’t very many heroes — unsung or otherwise — during Vegas’ dismal three-win season,” Patra wrote. “Stokes, however, had a mostly positive campaign in coverage, recording a completion percentage over expected o -8.4% while allowing a single touchdown and generating five PBUs. His 9.3 yards per catch allowed ranked in the top 11 among corners, per PFF. Among Raiders secondary defenders, Stokes led the squad in passer rating allowed (76.9), per NGS, giving up 0.6 yards per snap (tied for first lowest among all corners in the NFL, min. 200 coverage snaps).”
Raiders Need To Re-Sign Stokes
If there’s one free agent the Raiders can’t afford to let walk, it’s Stokes. The team was already thin at cornerback last season and would be even thinner if he left.
The Raiders are going to use their first-round pick on a quarterback, and their second-round pick could be dedicated to the offensive or defensive line. While the team needs to make additional moves at cornerback, it makes things a lot simpler if they’re able to retain Stokes.
Darien Porter showed some exciting flashes as a rookie. If he takes a step forward and Stokes continues to play at a high level, the Raiders would have a solid starting cornerback duo.
That’s very valuable for a team that has so many other huge needs all over the roster. The last thing they need to do is make the cornerback need more glaring before the draft.
Austin Boyd has covered the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com since 2019. A Los Angeles native now based in Las Vegas, his featured work at Heavy includes interviews with NFL stars Darren Waller and Joe Montana, and a behind-the-scenes look at “The Shop.” More about Austin Boyd
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