The Las Vegas Raiders are currently set to head into the 2025 NFL season without much depth at linebacker.Â
ESPNâs depth chart for the Raiders has them starting Devin White, Elandon Roberts and Tommy Eichenberg at the linebacker position. White and Roberts are both reputable veterans and Super Bowl champions but cannot be considered superstars at this point in their career. The Raiders havenât invested much in either player; both of them are on only 1-year contracts.Â
Every rostered linebacker beyond White and Roberts is largely unproven. So, many Las Vegas fans would like to see the Raiders add another linebacker before training camp starts on July 21, 2025.Â
Those fans immediately turned their attention to former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt, after the NFL world was shocked by news that he was released by the Bengals on June 9, 2025.Â
Pratt is an attractive option for the Raiders because he could bring both veteran experience and leadership to a young, growing Raiders locker room.Â
Prattâs Football Résumé
Germaine Pratt was drafted in Round 3 of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals after a productive four-year career at NC State. Â
He became a starter for the Bengals midway through his first season in 2019 and never looked back, continuing to be a starter and top tackler for the Bengals every year through 2024.Â
Raiders fans will remember Pratt well because perhaps the highlight of his young career came against Las Vegas when he made the game-sealing interception for the Bengals during the 2021 Wild Card playoff game. It was Cincinnatiâs first playoff victory in 31 years; the Bengals ultimately made the Super Bowl that season where they lost to the Los Angeles Rams.Â
The Bengals did not release Pratt due to issues with his productivity. Pratt is only 29 years old and is coming off a season where he finished Top-10 in the NFL with 143 tackles.Â
Instead, Cincinnati and Pratt donât seem to see eye to eye on the linebackerâs contract situation. Pratt was entering the final year of his 3-year, $20 million contract with the Bengals this season, and back on February 12, 2025, he abruptly requested a trade out of Cincinnati.Â
Prattâs time with the team that drafted him may be over, but he is still a star linebacker in the prime of his career.Â
Pratt Has Key Connections in Las VegasÂ
In the aftermath of Prattâs release, College Football insider Tristen Kuhn pointed out that Pratt was very good friends with Raiders wide receiver JaâKobi Meyers.Â
Pratt, Meyers and Raiders punter AJ Cole were all college teammates at NC State.Â
Meyers expressed his support for Pratt in 2023 after he signed his three-year contract with the Bengals in 2023, reposting the news on X.Â
Meyers definitely wants to see his friend land on his feet somewhere, and what better place than in Las Vegas where he can help the Raiders shore up a shallow position group?Â
Raiders fans should keep a close eye on the social media accounts of Pratt and his former NC State teammates in the coming days to check for any indication that the old friends are linking back up.Â
An NC State superstar trio would only bring the Raiders to greater heights in 2025
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