The Las Vegas Raiders made several major changes during the 2025 NFL offseason. This was because the team brought in new leadership in the form of general manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll.
While the move to hire these two was praised around the league, several of the decisions that Spytek and Carroll made during free agency were met with skepticism from Raider Nation.
Perhaps the most scrutinized choice was letting linebackers Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo find new homes and replacing them with cheap veterans like Elandon Roberts and Devin White. Both signed one-year deals with little-to-no guaranteed money.
Roberts is a nine-year NFL veteran who won two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots in the the mid-2010s. He racked up 206 tackles and 4.0 sacks during his four-year stint with the Patriots before making stops with the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers.
After two years with the Steelers, Roberts opted to join Las Vegas on a $3 million deal in March. On Tuesday, he was a guest on an episode of “The Rush With Maxx Crosby” and spoke about his decision to join the Raiders this offseason.
“When I got that phone call to come to the Raiders and knowing what’s being built, I was just like ‘Yeah, no lie … I’m back feeling young,” Roberts said. “Even in free agency, that’s literally why I came to Vegas. Yeah I want to win a Super Bowl.”
Roberts has 13 playoff games under his belt and has 53 postseason tackles to his name. This kind of winning pedigree and experience will be pivotal to a Raiders team that is trying to find their footing in a brutal AFC conference.
All told, Roberts has over 600 career tackles in the NFL, 54 of which were for a loss. He has also tacked on 14.5 sacks, 12 passes defended, five forced fumbles and an 85-yard interception returned for a touchdown, which, coincidentally, came against Las Vegas in 2021.
Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will, once again, have to teach a new linebacker how to operate in his defense. However, based on Roberts’ NFL success and Graham’s track record of getting the most out of his players, this should be a great pairing for the Silver and Black during the 2025 season.