The New England Patriots knew they had the most money to spend in free agency and they handed out a ton of big-time deals.
They brought in Milton Williams, Carlton Davis, Harold Landry III, Robert Spillane and Mack Hollins. The Pats are set on changing the culture under Mike Vrabel.
While they made sure to add these guys, it looks like one of their players has interest from the Las Vegas Raiders. According to Mike Reiss, the Raiders hosted restricted free agent Christian Elliss for a visit. Reiss adds this means they could be considering an offer sheet.
Back on March 6, it was announced that New England planned to tender Elliss at the right-of-first-refusal amount of $3.263M. That essentially means that the Patriots could match any offer that Elliss gets on the open market.
The Raiders hosted Patriots restricted free agent Christian Elliss on a visit, which could be an indication they are considering an offer sheet.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) March 17, 2025
Raiders lost starting LB Robert Spillane to the Patriots in free agency, and signed veteran LB Elandon Roberts (Steelers). https://t.co/LENJaIQcJg
Raiders Brought in Christian Elliss for a Visit
Las Vegas lost Spillane to the Patriots and they could be looking to poach Elliss from New England. The 26-year-old was a effective defender for the Pats in 2024. He finished with 80 total tackles, five QB hits, five pass deflections, and 1.5 sacks. According to PFF, Elliss had a 72.6 overall grade (41st among 189 eligible linebackers), 70.1 run defense grade (63rd among 189 eligible linebackers), and a 66.1 coverage grade (40th among 189 eligible linebackers).
He's the kind of player teams look for. The Idaho product is a rangy defender in the middle of the field who can stop the run and be solid in pass coverage.
If he does in fact gets an offer from the Raiders, the Patriots will get the chance to match that offer to keep him in New England.
New England has Ja'Whaun Bentley returning from a torn pec. The linebacker room also features Jahlani Tavai and Spillane. Retaining Elliss would give the Pats a solid group at LB and could help turn this defense around in 2025.