Raiders agree to deals with former Georgia star LBs Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker

The Las Vegas Raiders took a major step to address the middle of their defense on Monday, agreeing to deals with former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean and former Green Bay Packers linebacker Quay Walker. The two players, both 25, were teammates at the University of Georgia, where they helped the Bulldogs win the 2021 national championship.

Dean agreed to a three-year deal, according to his agent, Mike McCartney. The contract is for $36 million and $20 million guaranteed, a league source told The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. Walker agreed to a deal for three years and $40.5 million with $28 million guaranteed, according to reports.

Dean spent the past four seasons with the Eagles. He was ranked No. 87 in The Athletic’s Top 150 free agents and was ranked eighth among linebackers. Walker spent the past four seasons with the Packers. He was ranked No. 57 in the Top 150 and fifth among linebackers.

A third-round pick in 2022 after a decorated college career, Dean found his stride in Philadelphia during the past two seasons. He was a key starter on the Eagles’ Super Bowl defense in 2024 before a devastating knee injury in the playoffs halted his season short of the team winning the Lombardi Trophy.

Dean returned in Week 6 during the 2025 campaign and looked even better than the year before upon re-joining the lineup. He even relegated first-round pick Jihaad Campbell to reserve because of his effectiveness. Dean finished with 55 tackles, four sacks and seven tackles for losses in 10 games. He was especially effective as a blitzer, with a 35.7 percent pressure rate on 28 pass-rushing snaps.

Although undersized at 5-foot-11 and 231 pounds, his instincts and physicality have been staples of his game ever since he was a Butkus Award winner and unanimous All-American in college. Dean has dealt with multiple injuries in the NFL, but he entered free agency healthy and can be a signal-caller in the middle of a defense.

Walker, a first-round pick, started 57 games during his four seasons in Green Bay, leading the Packers with 128 tackles last season. The Packers had expressed interest in keeping Walker, but that got tricky after they didn’t exercise his fifth-year option last spring. They agreed to a trade to acquire linebacker Zaire Franklin from the Indianapolis Colts over the weekend.

The fiery Walker was ejected from two games during his rookie season, but he matured during his time in Green Bay.

“He’s obviously played very well for us in his time here and been an exceptional leader, and losing him would be tough,” GM Brian Gutekunst said recently. “I think we have guys in-house that can play and fill in if that’s not the case, but a lot of respect for Quay, and if we’re able to get him back, I would be all for that.”

After finishing 3-14 and earning the No. 1 pick in April’s draft, the Raiders have been active in the early hours of the free-agency negotiating window, also agreeing to deals with former Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum, former Minnesota Vikings receiver Jalen Nailor and former Indianapolis Colts defensive end Kwity Paye, in addition to trading for former Buffalo Bills nickelback Taron Johnson. Las Vegas also agreed to re-sign cornerback Eric Stokes and defensive end Malcolm Koonce.

How they fit

The Raiders are moving to a 3-4 defensive alignment, and Dean steps into the middle of the defense next to Walker. The Raiders were flush with cap space and were aggressive in rebuilding their roster. Dean has proven that he can be a defensive signal-caller, and at age 25, his best football is ahead of him if he stays healthy. Walker, too, can wear the green dot and was voted a defensive captain by his teammates last season.

Cap update

The Raiders had nearly $112 million in cap space, according to overthecap.com, so Dean’s $12 million-per-year salary does not put much of a dent in their financial picture, nor does Walker’s slightly bigger deal. The Raiders were headliners on Monday, and these were far from the only moves.

Zach Berman’s takeaway

This is a tough departure for the Eagles and Eagles fans, considering Dean was a respected player on defense and is the type of player the franchise typically likes to keep — a homegrown player in the prime of his career who is a key figure on the field and in the locker room. But it seemed unlikely the Eagles would retain Dean, considering Zack Baun is one of the highest-paid linebackers in the NFL and Jihaad Campbell was the Eagles’ first-round pick in 2025. If the Eagles had kept Dean, it would have blocked Campbell. This is comparable to Milton Williams last March, when the Eagles had depth at the position and knew Williams would be of more value elsewhere. But it won’t make it any easier for Eagles fans to see Dean in silver and black, and in Las Vegas he has the potential to establish himself as one of the NFL’s top linebackers. He’s shown he can play near that level, and he now has an opportunity to be a leader on a rebuilding defense.

Matt Schneidman’s takeaway