Raiders Rumors: Adam Butler Lands Contract; Latest Salary Cap Outlook in Free Agency

After bulking up the interior of their defensive line by signing Christian Wilkins in free agency, the Las Vegas Raiders are bringing back defensive tackle Adam Butler.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Butler will sign a one-year deal to remain with the Raiders. Financial terms of the agreement are not yet known.

Las Vegas entered the day $28.7 million under the $255.4 million salary cap.

The Raiders pulled off a free-agent stunner when they gave Wilkins a four-year, $110 million deal with $84.8 million fully guaranteed.

Wilkins $27.5 million average annual salary is the second-highest paid defensive tackle among active players after Aaron Donald announced his retirement on Friday.

Chris Jones, who signed a five-year, $158.8 million deal to remain with the Kansas City Chiefs, is the only interior defensive lineman earning more than Wilkins.

The addition of Wilkins will take a lot of pressure off Maxx Crosby on the edge. He recorded a career-high 23 quarterback hits and nine sacks in 17 starts for the Miami Dolphins next season.

Another big selling point for the Raiders is Butler has experience playing with Wilkins. They were teammates in Miami during the 2021 season.

Butler figures to benefit from playing next to Wilkins. The 29-year-old was disruptive as a rotation player with five sacks in 17 appearances for the Raiders last season.

The 2023 campaign was a terrific bounce-back year for Butler. He didn't play at all in 2022 after being released by the Dolphins during training camp with a failed physical designation. It's unclear what happened that caused Butler to fail his physical.

Butler entered the NFL in 2017 as an undrafted free agent signed by the New England Patriots. He recorded four quarterback hits in seven playoff games with the Patriots. The Vanderbilt alum won a Super Bowl with New England in his second season.

The Raiders originally signed Butler to a reserve/future contract in January 2023.

Antonio Pierce appears to be emphasizing defense going into his first season as the full-time head coach. The unit ranked ninth in points allowed per game last season. They held six opponents to 20 points or fewer in nine games after Pierce took over as interim head coach following Josh McDaniels' firing.