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Report: Raiders to sign LB Nakobe Dean to three-year contract

Brian Jones Profile Picby: Brian Jones03/09/26brianjones_93

The Las Vegas Raiders are signing linebacker Nakobe Dean to a three-year, $36 milllion contract, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz. Dean was set to become a free agent on Wednesday.

Nakobe Dean spent his first four NFL seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. In his rookie season (2022), Dean played in all 17 games and recorded 13 tackles. The following season, the former Georgia Bulldogs linebacker suffered a foot injury in the first week and was placed on injured reserve. He was activated off of IR in October, but was placed on IR again later in November due to a Lisfranc injury.

The 2024 season was Dean’s best. The 25-year-old played in 15 games with 15 starts and registered 128 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three sacks, one interception, four passes defended, and two fumble recoveries. The Eagles won the Super Bowl during the 2024 season, but Dean was inactive for the championship game, as he was on IR due to a torn patellar tendon in his left knee.

Nakobe Dean wasn’t sure he was returning to the Eagles

The injury led to Dean playing in just 10 games last year. He was productive in those 10 games, tallying 55 tackles, seven tackles for loss, four sacks, and one pass defended.

After the 2025 season ended, Dean talked about his future with the Eagles. “For me, I don’t know what’s gonna happen in the next couple months,” he said in January, per Rueben Frank of NBC Sports Philadelphia. “So it’s like I don’t know if I’m gonna play with the guys that I’ve played with for four years or the guys that I went to school with (at Georgia) when I was playing. So I’m kind of going through all these emotions.”

Dean also talked about how happy he was to be productive in 2025 despite playing in just 10 regular-season games. “I can say I’m proud of myself a little bit,” Dean said. “Just coming back from the injury that I had and being able to come back and feel like I’m a better player than I was before, not just the same. So I’m a little bit proud, but for me it’s also a little bit disappointing as far as wanting to play longer, wanting to go late in the postseason and win it.”