Linebacker Nakobe Dean agrees to three-year contract with Las Vegas Raiders
Dean's deal is worth $36 million with $20 million guaranteed.
After four seasons in Philadelphia, inside linebacker Nakobe Dean is headed to the Las Vegas Raiders on a three-year deal, his agent Mike McCartney said in a post shared to X.
Dean’s contract is worth $36 million with $20 million guaranteed, good for an average annual value of $12 million, a source confirmed to The Inquirer. His deal is tied for seventh most among inside linebackers on a yearly basis, according to Over The Cap.
Dean, 25, had become a fixture in the middle of the Eagles’ defense, especially over his last two seasons as the starter alongside Zack Baun. But the Eagles extended Baun and selected Jihaad Campbell with the No. 31 overall pick in the draft last year, putting an expiration date on Dean’s tenure with the team.
This past season, Dean rebounded from a patellar tendon injury sustained in the 2024 wild-card round. After beginning the year on the physically unable to perform list, he reclaimed his starting job from Campbell in Week 8 against the New York Giants, starting the next eight games until he suffered a hamstring injury that sidelined him for the last two contests of the regular season.
While Dean didn’t play in Super Bowl LIX two seasons ago, he was an integral part of the defense that got them there. During that 2024 season, he registered a career-high 14 pressures (according to Pro Football Focus), nine tackles for a loss, six quarterback hits, four pass breakups, three sacks, two fumble recoveries, an interception, and a forced fumble in 15 games.
Dean, the Eagles’ 2022 third-round pick out of Georgia, is set to join the revamped Raiders under new head coach Klint Kubiak. He is the third pending free agent to depart the Eagles on Monday after Jaelan Phillips reportedly agreed to terms with the Carolina Panthers on a four-year, $120 million deal and Jahan Dotson reportedly signed a two-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons.
Dean was one of the first members of the “Philly Dawgs,” the cohort of defensive players the Eagles drafted from Georgia. After Dean and Jordan Davis were drafted in 2022, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, and Kelee Ringo joined them the following year. Dean is also the first among that group to depart Philadelphia at the conclusion of his rookie deal.
The Eagles won’t have to make major additions to the inside linebackers corps with Dean out of the picture. Behind Baun and Campbell, the Eagles have considerable depth, including 2024 fifth-rounder Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and 2025 fifth-rounder Smael Mondon.