The NFL’s legal tampering period begins on Monday and the Raiders have already been linked to a handful of free agents, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.
With the checks now coming from Las Vegas, the Raiders now have a strong selling point to free agents in terms of state taxes. That will be especially good news for any premier free agents the Raiders are chasing on the open market. These players won’t just save thousands of dollars by signing in Vegas; they will save millions.
Two of the names linked most to the Raiders in recent weeks are linebacker Cory Littleton and Cowboys cornerback Byron Jones. Both are expected to sign contracts that pay anywhere from $13 to $18 million per year. That means state tax laws will be worth millions to both of them.
Back in 2015, the Oakland Raiders pushed hard for defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in free agency but ultimately lost out to the tax-friendly state of Florida, which saved Suh nearly $8 million dollars in projected earnings.
Looking ahead to the next 48 hours, don’t be surprised if the Las Vegas Raiders don’t reel in at least two of the top free agents on the market – maybe even both Littleton and Jones.
When the time comes to cash the enormous signing bonus (just a matter of days), who wouldn’t choose to have an extra few million in their bank account right away?
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