Securing cornerback Eric Stokes with a $30 million deal signals a new era, earning the Raiders a B+ grade and a promising start.
The Las Vegas Raiders locked up a key contributor to their secondary on Monday, re-signing cornerback Eric Stokes to a $30 million deal for three years. The first signing of the offseason for the Raiders sends a message that they are striving for a much better 2026 season.
Stokes arrived in Las Vegas last season after previously being with the Green Bay Packers for four seasons, where he was a first-round selection in the 2021 draft. Though he struggled in Green Bay, Stokes was a rare positive in what was a bottom-ranked defense.
He totaled 53 tackles, including three tackles for loss, and five passes defended in his first season with the Raiders. The 27-year-old also allowed the second-lowest passer rating of his career at 77.7, also holding opposing quarterbacks to a 56.7 completion percentage.
Stokes’ bounce-back year was enough to earn him $10 million annually for a Raiders team with plenty available to spend this offseason. With the free agent period officially underway, Stokes’ deal is just the first of many to come as Las Vegas heads into a new era.
In Bleacher Report’s article grading free agency signings through the first day of transactions, the Raiders-Stokes deal was given a B+ grade.
Las Vegas weren’t big threats to sign the big corner back names on the market like a Jaylen Watson or Jamal Dean, making a reunion with Stokes the easiest option to maintain some talent at the position.
It wasn’t the first move of the day addressing the Raiders’ secondary, however, as they previously traded for Buffalo Bills cornerback Taron Johnson on Monday morning. In the trade, the Raiders sent a sixth-rounder to Buffalo in exchange for Johnson and a seventh-rounder.
Johnson was set to be released by Buffalo before Las Vegas swooped in and made the deal. In 2025, the 29-year-old totaled 57 tackles and four passes defended. Opposing quarterbacks completed 63.6 of their passes and managed a 94.7 passer rating against Johnson.
Even with Johnson’s arrival and Stokes’ return in 2026, the Raiders could still use another corner, either via free agency or with one of their many picks in next month’s draft. For now, the Raiders seem to be doing the right things to move past their nightmare of a 2025 season.