It appeared for a few days there that that the Raiders had found their replacement at linebacker for Divine Deablo who they let leave in free agency. But at the 11th hour, the Patriots squashed it.
Last week the Raiders signed Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss to an offer sheet. It was for a two-year deal. The Patriots had placed an RFA tender on the former undrafted linebacker, which meant they had right of first refusal. That is to say, they would have until Monday to match the Raiders' offer or let him leave. They opted to match it, according to ESPN's Mark Reiss.
The Patriots are planning to match the Raiders’ offer sheet for restricted free-agent LB Christian Elliss, per sources.
It is a 2-year deal, locking Elliss in with the Patriots through 2026.
The Patriots revamped their linebacking corps this offseason, with the centerpiece being former Raiders middle linebacker Robert Spillane. The Raiders replaced Spillane with former Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts. But Las Vegas also let Divine Deablo leave in free agency and have no proven replacement ready to step into the starting role on the roster.
Elliss is entering his fifth NFL season and is coming off his best season in which he apperaed in 16 games with five starts, amassing 80 combined tackles, five pass breakups, and five QB hits.
With Eliss slipping through their fingers, the Raiders must now look elsewhere to fill the void at linebacker.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders see free agent Patriots LB slip through their fingers
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