Tag: Las Vegas

Oct 19, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Las Vegas Raiders tight end Ian Thomas (80) warms up prior to the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Report: Raiders bringing back TE Ian Thomas

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Las Vegas Raiders are re-signing tight end Ian Thomas to a one-year contract after his first season with the team, ESPN reported on Tuesday.

Thomas, 29, signed with Las Vegas for a reported $1.52 million last offseason after seven years with the Carolina Panthers.

He played in 15 games (10 starts) last season, catching all 13 targets for 114 yards. Thomas, teammates with two-time Pro Bowl tight end Brock Bowers, played on 36% of the offensive snaps (318) and 26% of special teams snaps (96).

For his career, Thomas has 132 receptions on 198 targets for 1,176 yards and four touchdowns in 114 games (64 starts) for the Panthers (2018-24) and Raiders.

Carolina selected Thomas in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Indiana.

–Field Level Media

Jan 4, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; The Al Davis memorial torch at Allegiant Stadium with the Las Vegas strip as a backdrop. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Las Vegas to host Super Bowl LXIII in February 2029

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The Raiders’ home of Allegiant Stadium, just off the Las Vegas Strip, will host its second Super Bowl in a six-season span following the 2028 NFL campaign.

Super Bowl LXIII officially was awarded to Las Vegas on Monday during the owners’ annual meetings in Phoenix. The game will be played on a TBD date in February 2029.

The city, long avoided by major leagues until the advent of legalized sports betting, hosted its first Super Bowl on Feb. 11, 2024, when the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25-22, in Super Bowl LVIII.

“We’re excited to bring the Super Bowl back to Las Vegas and provide our fans another incredible experience in one of America’s greatest sport and entertainment destinations,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “Super Bowl LVIII demonstrated the scale, energy and hospitality the city brings to global events, and we look forward to working alongside the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the Raiders and the community to deliver an even greater experience this time around.”

“We’re excited that the Super Bowl will be returning to Las Vegas and Allegiant Stadium in 2029,” Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis said. “It’s a testament to the Raiders, the LVCVA, civic leaders, the community, and the NFL working together as one. Super Bowl LVIII set a high bar, and for Super Bowl LXIII we are committed to raising it even further.”

SoFi Stadium, the home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers in Inglewood, Calif., will host its second Super Bowl next year while Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium returns to the rotation for Super Bowl LXII in February 2028.

–Field Level Media

Jan 4, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; The Al Davis memorial torch at Allegiant Stadium with the Las Vegas strip as a backdrop. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Report: Las Vegas to host Super Bowl after 2028 season

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Las Vegas is expected to be selected by NFL owners as the host city for Super Bowl LXIII after the 2028 season, ESPN reported on Wednesday.

The voting will take place during next week’s annual league meeting in Phoenix.

Per ESPN, one source said the Super Bowl’s return to Allegiant Stadium is a “matter of formality.”

Las Vegas, the home of the Raiders, served as the host of Super Bowl LVIII in February 2024. The Kansas City Chiefs recorded a 25-22 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers in that game.

Super Bowl LXI will be played next February at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif, while Super Bowl LXII will return to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in February 2028.

–Field Level Media

Jan 19, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis walks on the field before the CFP National Championship college football game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Report: NFL owners set to vote on Raiders’ succession plan

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NFL owners will vote next week on a succession plan that would give Silver Lake co-chief executive officer Egon Durban the option to buy a majority stake in the Las Vegas Raiders from longtime owner Mark Davis, multiple media outlets reported.

The vote — expected to take place at the annual league meeting in Phoenix starting March 29 — does not necessarily signal that a significant change is in the immediate future, as reports say Davis has no intention of selling his majority stake.

However, the vote sets the stage for if and when Davis or his heirs decide to sell, giving Durban, a limited partner, the option to buy the club. Durban would have to be approved as the new controlling owner by the NFL’s other owners, per league rules.

Owners reportedly also will vote on Davis selling roughly 7% of the team to Durban and another limited partner, Discovery Land Company founder and chairman Michael Meldman. Both already are limited partners, having each acquired a 7.5% stake in the team in December 2024.

If approved, the most recent sale would put the team’s valuation at nearly $10 billion, according to ESPN. The Raiders would join three other organizations valued by Forbes at more than $10 billion: the Dallas Cowboys ($13 billion), Los Angeles Rams ($10.5 billion), and New York Giants ($10.1 billion).

In 2024, Davis sold a 5% stake in the team to legendary quarterback Tom Brady for an undisclosed sum. Knighthead Capital Management co-founder Tom Wagner (5%) and Raiders Hall of Famer Richard Seymour (0.5%) also bought into the Raiders.

Davis, 70, inherited the team in 2011 upon the death of his father, Al Davis, a legendary figure in the league who went from being the team’s coach and general manager in 1963 to the principal owner in 1972.

The elder Davis won three Super Bowls, but since his death, the Raiders have had just two winning seasons and no playoff wins.

The addition of Brady to the ownership team and a move from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2020 have so far not invigorated the organization as they’d hoped. The Raiders have just one winning season since the move (10-7 and a first-round playoff loss in 2021) and have gone a dismal 4-13 and 3-14 in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

–Field Level Media

Dec 28, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) throws in the third quarter against the New York Giants at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Jets reportedly reacquire QB Geno Smith in trade with Raiders

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Thirteen years after drafting Geno Smith, the Jets haven’t found a surefire solution to their quarterback woes and are bringing the 35-year-old back to New York for another shot.

The Raiders and Jets reportedly agreed to the trade on Tuesday sending Smith back to his original NFL team in return for a 2026 sixth-round draft pick.

The Jets also will receive a seventh-round pick (No. 2019 overall) along with Smith, who was awaiting his release by the Raiders before the start of the league year on Wednesday.

With an opportunity to head back to the Jets, Smith, 35, reportedly agreed to restructure his contract. ESPN reported the Raiders are paying most of the remaining tab, limiting New York’s financial commitment to just over the league minimum for veteran players.

The Jets selected Smith in the second round (39th overall) of the 2013 draft out of West Virginia. He played his first four seasons for the Jets and completed 57.9% of his passes for 5,962 yards and 28 touchdowns with 26 interceptions in 33 games (30 starts) from 2013-16.

Las Vegas is projected to use the No. 1 pick in next month’s draft on Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

There was urgency for the Raiders to trade or release Smith with an $8 million guarantee in his contract due to hit the books March 13.

Smith threw a league-worst 17 interceptions and completed 67.4% of his passes for 3,025 yards with 15 touchdowns in 15 starts last season. The Raiders were 2-13 in games he started and Smith was sacked a league-high 55 times.

Smith has completed 65.2% of his passes for 22,168 yards and 124 TDs with 89 interceptions in 109 regular-season games (98 starts) with the Jets, New York Giants (2017), Los Angeles Chargers (2018), Seattle Seahawks (2020-24) and Raiders.

His only playoff appearance was in 2022 with the Seahawks, a 41-23 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in an NFC wild-card game. Smith was honored as the NFL Comeback Player of the Year that season and made the Pro Bowl in 2022 and 2023.

–Field Level Media

Buffalo Bills cornerback Taron Johnson (7) rushes for a touchdown after intercepting the first pass of the game by Indianapolis Colts quarterback Joe Flacco (15) on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, during a game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Reports: Raiders trade for Bills CB Taron Johnson

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The Las Vegas Raiders are acquiring veteran cornerback Taron Johnson and a seventh-round pick from the Buffalo Bills for a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft, according to multiple reports on Sunday night.

The Bills announced on Friday that Johnson, 29, was going to be released, reportedly as an apparent salary-cap casualty for a savings of $1.9 million. Instead, Buffalo is trading Johnson and a late draft pick — it has two in the seventh (from the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets) — for a sixth-rounder. The Raiders have two that round, including one from the Jets.

Johnson played in 13 regular-season games for the Bills last season, making eight starts at nickel cornerback and totaling 57 tackles and four passes defended. He also started one of two playoff games and made eight tackles.

He signed a three-year, $30.75 million extension in March 2024 with $17.82 million in guaranteed money.

Buffalo selected Johnson in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Weber State.

For his career, Johnson has 572 tackles, eight sacks, 23 tackles for loss, 48 passes defended, eight forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and six interceptions — two returned for touchdowns — in 113 regular-season games (87 starts) since 2018. He was a second-team All-Pro selection in 2023.

He also has 69 tackles, one sack, seven passes defensed and one interception, which he returned 101 yards for a touchdown against Baltimore in 2020, in 15 playoff games (12 starts).

–Field Level Media

Aug 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Raiders defensive line coach Rob Leonard against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Reports: Raiders elevating Rob Leonard to defensive coordinator

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Rob Leonard is receiving a promotion from the Las Vegas Raiders, moving from run game coordinator/defensive line to defensive coordinator under new head coach Klint Kubiak, multiple media outlets reported Saturday.

Leonard, 38, has spent the past three seasons on Las Vegas’ coaching staff and is reportedly close with Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby, whose name has surfaced in trade rumors after he expressed displeasure with being inactive for the team’s final two games. Crosby is under contract through 2029 after signing a 3-year, $106.5 million extension in 2025.

Per NFL Network: “Leonard earns the promotion, a key hire for coach Klint Kubiak. Leonard is also close with Maxx Crosby. With Crosby’s future uncertain in Las Vegas, worth noting that the Raiders hired the coach with whom he works directly. As one person noted, ‘The plot thickens.’”

Before joining the Raiders, Leonard was the outside linebackers coach for the Baltimore Ravens in 2022 after three seasons on the Miami Dolphins’ coaching staff.

Leonard’s first taste of coaching at the NFL level came with the New York Giants from 2013-18 as an assistant.

–Field Level Media

Raiders place DE Maxx Crosby (knee) on injured reserve

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The Las Vegas Raiders placed Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby on injured reserve with a knee injury Saturday, ending his season one day after Crosby expressed frustration and left the team facility after being told he would not get to play in Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.

Crosby’s knee injury is serious enough that he requires knee surgery, according to an ESPN report.

“After deliberate and thorough consultation with multiple top medical professionals, it became clear that this decision is in the best interest of both the franchise and the player,” the Raiders said in a statement. “Maxx is the ultimate warrior, and he has fought extremely hard to compete each week with his teammates since injuring his knee mid-season. We are grateful for his extraordinary contributions. He is a true Raider on and off the field — we look forward to his leadership and toughness into 2026 and beyond.”

Crosby received his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl nod earlier this week. He has amassed 73 tackles, 20 quarterback hits, 10 sacks, two forced fumbles and his first career interception in 15 games.

Overall, Crosby has 439 tackles, 69.5 sacks and 11 forced fumbles in 110 games (104 starts) in seven seasons with the Raiders.

Sunday’s Raiders-Giants game is a matchup of 2-13 teams, with the loser taking pole position for the No. 1 pick in next April’s draft. Crosby is the third Raiders starter to be placed on IR this week, joining standout tight end Brock Bowers (knee) and safety Jeremy Chinn (back).

“Yeah, I don’t give a s- about the pick,” Crosby said earlier this week. “I don’t play for that. My job is to be the best defensive end in the world. That’s what I focus on every day – and being a leader and a great influence.”

As a corresponding move, Las Vegas signed rookie defensive end Jahfari Harvey to the active roster for what would be his NFL debut. The Raiders also elevated running back Chris Collier and receiver Phillip Dorsett from the practice squad for Sunday’s game.

–Field Level Media

Report: QB Geno Smith unlikely to start vs. Eagles

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Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith won’t practice Wednesday because of a right shoulder injury and is unlikely to start on Sunday against the host Philadelphia Eagles, NFL Network reported.

Kenny Pickett, who replaced Smith after he was hurt in a 24-17 home loss to the Denver Broncos last Sunday, is reportedly in line to start against his former team.

Smith was injured during the third quarter and later gave way to Pickett at the start of the fourth quarter.

Raiders coach Pete Carroll was concerned afterward but said on Sunday that initial tests “didn’t show any damage” to Smith’s passing shoulder.

“It’s just kind of jammed up right now,” Carroll said. “The early indications that they were able to get didn’t show any damage. His shoulder’s really locked up. So, we’ll see what that means.”

Smith completed 13 of 21 passes for 116 yards and one touchdown before exiting. Pickett finished 8-of-11 passing for 97 yards and a touchdown.

Carroll said on Tuesday that Pickett has “looked terrific in practice.”

“He runs around well. He moves well. He throws the ball on the move well, which he did in the game,” Carroll said. “He scrambled for a first down, I believe. I think he might have missed his first three (pass attempts) and hit seven or eight in a row. He came on really strong and finished on a good note.”

Pickett, 27, is in his first season with Las Vegas. He was acquired from the Cleveland Browns in late August.

He is 10 of 14 for 105 yards and one touchdown in three games as a reserve this season.

Pickett has completed 481 of 769 passes (62.5%) for 4,870 yards, 16 TDs and 14 picks in 33 games (25 starts) for the Pittsburgh Steelers (2022-23), Eagles (2024) and Raiders. He is 15-10 as a starter.

The Steelers selected him 20th overall in the 2022 draft out of the University of Pittsburgh.

The Raiders (2-11) have lost seven straight games heading into Sunday against the Eagles (8-5).

Smith, 35, has passed for 2,648 yards and 16 touchdowns and is tied for the NFL lead with 14 interceptions. He is in his first season with the Raiders after being acquired from the Seattle Seahawks in the offseason.

The two-time Pro Bowl selection (2022, 2023) and 2022 NFL Comeback Player of the Year, Smith has thrown for 21,791 yards, 121 touchdowns and 86 interceptions in 12 seasons for the New York Jets (2013-16), New York Giants (2017), Los Angeles Chargers (2018), Seahawks (2020-24) and Raiders.

The Jets selected him in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

–Field Level Media

Raiderrs sign LB Jamin Davis, place OL Jackson Powers-Johnson on IR

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The Las Vegas Raiders signed linebacker Jamin Davis to the active roster and placed right guard Jackson Powers-Johnson (ankle) on injured reserve on Tuesday.

Powers-Johnson, 22, got hurt in the second quarter of Thursday’s 10-7 road loss against the Denver Broncos.

A second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Oregon, the 22-year-old Powers-Johnson started seven of eight games this season after making 14 starts in 15 games as a rookie.

The Raiders signed Davis, 26, to the practice squad on Oct. 8.

Washington selected Davis 19th overall in the 2021 draft out of Kentucky.

He started 36 of 50 games played for Washington and totaled 282 tackles, seven sacks, 21 tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one interception from 2021-24.

The Commanders released him on Oct. 22, 2024, then he briefly spent time on the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings’ practice squads. He played in four gamers for the Vikings and had four tackles and one sack.

Davis spent the 2025 offseason and training camp with the New York Jets, who had claimed him off waivers from the Vikings on Dec. 31, 2024, re-signed him in March and released him on Aug. 24.

The Raiders also signed kicker Greg Joseph to the practice squad on Tuesday.

Joseph, 31, has played in 75 career regular-season games for the Cleveland Browns (2018), Tennessee Titans (2019), Vikings (2021-23), New York Giants (2024), Commanders (2024) and Jets (2024). He has made 116 of 141 field-goal attempts (82.3%) and 157 of 173 extra-point attempts (90.8%).

–Field Level Media