A surprising cornerback blossomed in Las Vegas. Will a new payday await him, or will he chase a new opportunity elsewhere?
The NFL Scouting Combine gave the new head coaches an opportunity to speak to reporters, and it allowed teams across the league to take a look at the game's upcoming prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft.
NFL free agency is set to begin, so a lot of rumors will start dropping with plenty of action expected with the salary cap increasing once again.
The Raiders should be active in free agency, and one player who might be headed out is cornerback Eric Stokes.
Stokes, who was a first-round pick by the Green Bay Packers in 2021, spent four seasons in Green Bay before signing a one-year deal with Las Vegas last offseason.
Then, out of nowhere, Stokes blossomed into a legitimate starter. He played in 16 games, totaling 53 combined tackles with 35 solo tackles.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler dropped some intel ahead of free agency, and he named Stokes as a sleeper for this year's free agency class.
"Raiders cornerback Eric Stokes: Here's another corner well-positioned; teams liked his tape last season, when he was finally healthy," Fowler wrote.
According to Spotrac, they have Stokes' projected market value at three years and $22.1 million, which is just over $7 million per season.
Stokes signed a one-year deal worth just over $`1 million to go to Las Vegas, so anywhere close to his market value projection would be a huge payday for the former first-round pick.
Raiders GM John Spytek spoke about Stokes at the NFL Scouting Combine, saying that the Raiders would "love" to keep him in town.
Spytek also said that they have had "good dialogue" with Stokes about returning to Las Vegas, so that is a promising sign.
Stokes played 16 games in his rookie year, but he played just 12 games combined in 2022 and 2023 due to various injuries.
In 2024 and 2025, he combined to miss just one game, which came this past season, but he had a solid year in Las Vegas after signing a one-year deal.
Stokes just turned 27 years old on March 1, and teams looking for a younger cornerback on a somewhat cheap deal could be making a run at Stokes.
On the other hand, Spytek's comments regarding Stokes sure make it sound like something has already been discussed or is in the works, so there is a chance they strike a deal with him right away.