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By Logan Brown
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The Dallas Cowboys were left stranded by one of their top targets as negotiations in NFL free agency began on Monday.
Linebacker Nakobe Dean, formerly of the rival Philadelphia Eagles, opted to accept a deal from the Las Vegas Raiders instead of the Cowboys. Dean reportedly agreed to a three-year, $36 million contract with the Raiders, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
Dean was highly coveted by teams while on the open market, given the relatively thin group of linebackers available. Even though the Eagles weren’t able to bring Dean back, it’s possible the historic rivalry between his former team and the Cowboys played a role in his decision.
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NFL Network’s Jane Slater reports Dean went with his “gut feeling” and was “51/49” in favor of the Raiders, despite both teams presenting a similar offer.
“He was one of [the Cowboys’] 5 zooms allowed,” Slater wrote in a post on X. “I’m told their offer was similar to the Raiders but ultimately he went with his gut feeling but was told he could have seen himself in both places and it was “51/49” margin but Raiders won this one.”
It’s possible Dean didn’t want to see his former team twice a season by agreeing to a deal with Dallas, but his deal with the Raiders marks one of the biggest wins of the early free agency period.
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The Georgia product was a third-round selection in 2022 by Philadelphia and grew into the heart of the Eagles’ defense that dominated Super Bowl LIX. He recorded 128 tackles that season, along with three sacks, four pass deflections, one interception and one forced fumble. He followed that with 55 tackles in 10 games last season.
The Raiders could use another sound tackler and will likely use Dean as a blitzer often to replace the pressure production lost by trading Maxx Crosby to the Ravens.
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