Raiders Insider Shares Gut Feeling on Kolton Miller Contract Negotiations

Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter believes there is a good chance the Las Vegas Raiders and left tackle Kolton Miller agree on a contract extension before the start of the 2025 regular season. Carpenter, speaking on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast, stated he gets the feeling a deal will get done "either right before camp or somewhere close to the season," though he clarified this is based on his feeling rather than specific inside information.

Carpenter strongly doubts the Raiders would let Miller go, emphasizing that failing to extend Miller would send a "really bad message" to the locker room, especially after losing linebacker Robert Spillane in free agency. He views losing Spillane as a mistake the Raiders could recover from ("a mulligan"), but asserts that losing Miller would be an unforgivable error ("There won’t be a mulligan on losing Kolton Miller").

Carpenter points to the Spillane situation as a cautionary tale. He blames previous Raiders front office regimes for repeatedly delaying Spillane's contract talks. By the time new General Manager Tom Telesco was hired, free agency was imminent and Spillane's market value had surged significantly. Carpenter reported that at least seven teams, five of which were playoff-caliber, pursued Spillane aggressively. He contends the Raiders could have retained Spillane for less than his New England Patriots contract if they had been proactive, calling the failure to do so a "major blunder."