While just about all undrafted free agent contracts are worth roughly $3.1 million in total value, like any deal in the NFL, the guaranteed money is much more important. That really shows how much a team is committed to a player, and in the case of an undrafted rookie, that can often be an indiciation into how strongly the organization feels said player will make the 53-man roster or contribute down the line.
Spotrac has the details on the money for the Las Vegas Raiders’ 2026 UDFA class, allowing us to come up with some takeaways and form a few insights into the position battles heading into training camp.
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Wide Receiver Competition
This will be one of the biggest competitions to keep tabs on in Las Vegas this summer, since the offense lacks depth at wide receiver and there’s a good chance at least one UDFA makes the team. If that’s the case, Corey Rucker and Chase Roberts appear to be heading into camp with an advantage over E.J. Williams and Jonathan Brady.
Rucker is tied with Cian Slone as the highest-paid or highest-guaranteed undrafted rookie at $272.5k, while Roberts is only $5k behind them in third place. Meanwhile, Williams is only getting $20k, and Brady doesn’t have any guaranteed money since he was a rookie minicamp invite who earned a spot on the 90-man roster.
That likely means Rucker and Roberts will enter training camp a little higher on the depth chart than the two Indiana wideouts. Granted, having familiarity with Fernando Mendoza could prove to be more valuable than immediate cash when it’s all said and done.
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More Momentum for Slone
As mentioned above, the NC State product is tied for the highest-paid UDFA on the Raiders’ roster. That gives him a good chance to make the team this summer, but the problem is whether there will be a spot available behind Maxx Crosby, Kwity Paye, Malcolm Koonce and Keyron Crawford. The team did roster five edges last year, but that was a different coaching staff and scheme. Plus, the fifth edge was Brennan Jackson, who was claimed off waivers, and returns in 2026 to fight for a roster spot.
All of that being said, the organization has already invested a decent chunk of change in Slone, while cutting Jackson wouldn’t result in any dead cap hit, per Spotrac.
Gay Still Favorite at Kicker
Matt Gay
We know Daniel Carlson won’t be the Silver and Black’s kicker anymore, and the expectation is that Matt Gay and Kansei Matsuzawa will battle for the job in training camp. However, if we’re following the money, it seems much more likely that ‘The Tokoyo Toe’ will begin the season on the practice squad. He’s only getting $25k guaranateed while Gay’s contract carries $1.35 million of dead cap space if cut, per Spotrac.
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Long Snapper Up for Grabs
Staying within the special teams unit, but on a different note, the long-snapper competition is very much up for grabs, and the UDFA might have an advantage. Tyler Duzansky received a $110k guarantee, which is the eighth-highest in the class and more than defensive players like safety Tanner Wall and linebacker Xavian Sorey. Meanwhile, Alex Ward is Duzansky’s biggest competition, and Ward doesn’t have any guaranteed money on his contract after signing a future/reserve contract at the beginning of the offseason.
The Houston Texans were in this same situation at long snapper last year, where Tucker Addington signed a future/reserve contract, and Austin Brinkman was brought on as a UDFA. Brinkman won the job early, as Addington was waived on June 20 before training camp even started. Here’s the kicker (no pun intended) in that situation: Brinkman also received $110k guaranteed on his rookie contract, according to Spotrac.
Cleveland vs. Smtih Legitimate Competition
It’s no secret that the Raiders are looking for a nose tackle with the switch to a 3-4 base defense. Among others, Brandon Cleveland and Gary Smith III are expected to compete for that role, and at the very least, battle each other for a roster spot. The perception might be that the seventh-round pick has a significant advantage since he was the one who got drafted, but the money isn’t all that different between the two players.
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Cleveland received $158,148 in guaranteed money and would carry that amount as a dead cap hit if cut, via Spotrac, while Smith signed for $115k guaranteed. So, the difference between the two sunk cost options is only about $45k to help level the playing field between the two rookies.
Full Breakdown
There’s no takeaway here, but below is the full breakdown of UDFA’s guaranteed money courtesy of Spotrac.
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WR Chase Roberts $267,500
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G Justin Pickett $170,000
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DT Gary Smith III $115,000
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LS Tyler Duzansky $110,000
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K Kansei Matsuzawa $25,000
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S Devin Lafayette $16,000
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No guaranteed money listed: WR Jonathan Brady, OT Kamar Missouri, TE Patrick Gurd, OT Niklas Henning, S Devyn Perkins, LB Christian Thomas
