At the NFL Combine, Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said they needed to re-sign every one of their defensive free agents. Time will tell if that happens, and frankly it’s unlikely, but they got a start on that effort Sunday night.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Raiders and defensive tackle Adam Butler have agreed to a three-year, $16.5 million deal with $11 million guaranteed.
Butler has played in every game for the Raiders over the last two seasons, tallying five sacks and eight tackles for loss in both campaigns. Last season he set a career-high with 65 total tackles, while becoming an every down player (77 percent snap share) next to big free agent signing Christian Wilkins. He also became a mentor for former top-10 overall pick Tyree Wilson.
Butler spent the first four seasons of his career (2017-2020) with the New England Patriots, playing in two Super Bowls (and winning one). He spent the 2021 season with the Miami Dolphins, then he spent the 2022 season out of football after the new regime in Miami cut him that August.
Raiders reward Adam Butler for perseverance and hard work
Butler of course landed with the Raiders on a cheap one-year deal in 2023 ($1.55 million), and he was not thrilled with how free agency went last offseason before he came back to Las Vegas on a one-year, $1.8 million deal.
Butler was open about wanting a raise this offseason, but he was also clear about wanting to come back to the Raiders.
“It will really be a dream come true,” Butler said, about returning to the Raiders during an appearance with Hondo Carpenter of Sports Illustrated on the “Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast” back in February. “It will be a dream come true. It will be the perfect situation for me in my opinion. As long as you said the business makes sense, it will be a perfect situation. I love the team, I love the organization, and I would not want to be anywhere else.”
Butler’s deal may start to look a bargain very quickly as other defensive tackles get their free agent deals. But the Raiders have rewarded him for his emergence as a key part of their defensive line, as unexpected it likely was when he first came aboard two years ago.