Raiders defensive line: Adam Butler’s presence inside amplified

Veteran defensive tackle inked new contract this offseason and leads the pack in Christian Wilkins’ absence

A veteran mentor who is as good at guiding younger talent as he is productive, Adam Butler’s inking a new deal to stay with the Las Vegas Raiders seemed inevitable this offseason.

Setting career highs in numerous categories in 2024, the 31-year-old defensive tackle inked a three-year pact valued at $16.5 million with $8 million fully guaranteed and $11 million in total guarantees. Not bad for an undrafted free agent who took a hiatus the 2022 season, inked a future/reserve contract with the Raiders and has become a mainstay on the defensive line.

Butler’s cap number in 2025 is a cool $3.983-plus million with a jump to over $6.5 million next season. Considering the on-field production and leadership he showed, the Raiders are highly likely to see a return on their investment. Especially considering Butler’s presence is amplified in the absence of elite counterpart Christian Wilkins.

By The Numbers:
Adam Butler, Defensive Tackle

• 2024: 17 games (16 starts), 65 total tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 2 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble
• Career (2017-24): 114 games (29 starts), 206 total tackles, 38 tackles for loss, 27 sacks, 19 passes defensed, 3 forced fumbles

As the above post from The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vinny Bosignore notes, Wilkins should be back by August but the high-priced defensive tackle hasn’t been an active participate in OTAs. Still recovering from a Jones fracture in his left foot — Wilkins had surgery in October — Las Vegas is taking a cautious approach when it comes to their $110-million man.

“This has been a difficult recovery,” Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said about Wilkins during the new lead man’s media session after OTAs this past Wednesday. “He’s done everything he needs to do. He’s been here every day. He’s here early working hard, but we’re still working on it. He’s not ready to get back out (there). We’re in the midst of a long, challenging process here. Fortunately, there’s a lot of time. … He’s been onboard the whole time, but it has been challenging.”

An August timeframe for return does leave plenty of time. And as our Matt Holder noted in his Raiders Mailbag piece, the concern of Wilkins’ absence arrives if the defender misses valuable training camp time.

“As for how the injury will impact the defensive tackle’s season, I’m not terribly concerned with him missing unpadded practices in May,” Holder wrote. “Yes, it would be ideal for him to be out there, but he’s a veteran who has played at a high level and was good last year before suffering the Jones fracture in his foot.

“Where I would start to get worried is if Wilkins has to miss time during training camp. It’s hard to get into football shape without practicing with pads on, which is what training camp is for with an experienced player of his caliber. If that happens, it could cause him to get off to a slow start, and we’d likely see the Raiders rotate Wilkins out of games more frequently and rely on their depth at defensive tackle to begin the campaign.”

This is where Butler’s well-deserved raise and continued presence on the Raiders defensive line comes into play once more.

Entering the league as an undrafted free agent out of Vanderbilt with the New England Patriots, the 6-foot-5 and 300-pound defender was a rotational piece up until the 2024 season. Playing in the majority of games in his career, he only netted 13 career starts in that span and he had zero starts in his first season in Silver & Black in 2023.

Despite that, however, Butler is a disruptive presence with the snaps he’s earned.

Before inking as a flier signing after not playing in 2022, Butler racked up 17 sacks with 22 tackles for loss in four seasons with New England a solo year with the Miami Dolphins in 2021. His first season in Las Vegas saw Butler net five sacks and eight tackles for loss in 17 games.

And in 2024, Butler’s career highs were ever present. Those highs were: Games started (16), total tackles (65), quarterback hits (10), pressures (15), and snaps (858). Butler picked up the pace after Wilkins went down after just five games. And the veteran defensive tackle helped take second-year defensive end Tyree Wilson under his wing.

This offseason, Butler — along with Wilkins — can serve as lead-by-example types to rookie defensive tackles Tonka Hemingway, JJ Pegues, Tank Booker, Laki Tasi, Treven Ma’ae, and second-year talent Jonah Laulu.

Butler and Wilkins are also joined by veteran Leki Fotu, who is likely going to led the charge at nose tackle as he stands 6-foot-5 and 335 pounds as a six-year vet (26 years old).