Las Vegas Raiders rookie just dodged a massive bullet that would have had his pockets hurting in a huge way
The Las Vegas Raiders lost to the Kansas City Chiefs last week, and in that game, Treydan Stukes made a tackle that accidentally injured Tyquan Thornton.
The Las Vegas Raiders got rookie safety Treydan Stukes back on the field last week against the Kansas City Chiefs. It was his first game since suffering a concussion that forced him to miss the Week 3 matchup against the New Orleans Saints.
Aside from a few plays here and there, he played well for a second-round rookie starting at safety. However, one play from that game has been making NFL headlines, and not for the right reasons.
Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton caught a pass downfield and went down with an ankle injury after Stukes landed on it during the tackle. Many people called it a hip-drop tackle. The NFL disagreed. Stukes was not fined, which means he avoided a $17,911 penalty.
Why the Raiders safety avoiding a fine matters
That number may not sound like much to many players in the league. For a rookie, it’s a different story. Stukes’ base salary is $885,000 this year. Break that down weekly, and a $17,911 fine takes a real bite out of a rookie’s check. He is on a four-year, $12.5 million contract that includes a $5 million signing bonus.
To be fair, all of that sounds like a lot of money to the rest of us. But for a young player still on his first NFL deal, that penalty would have hurt his pockets. Luckily, the league didn’t view it as a hip-drop tackle, and Stukes keeps his money. That’s great news for him and for Las Vegas.
Treydan Stukes is a vital part of this defense
Here’s the thing about Stukes: he’s already one of the most important pieces of this defense. He is the center fielder in the secondary. Stukes is that free safety who can also slide into the slot when needed. The Raiders haven’t asked him to do much of that yet, but he has the ability, and that versatility is exactly why they drafted him in the second round.
So far, he has been one of the better rookie defensive players in the league. He’s the starter, and he’s helping a very young secondary that still has plenty of room to improve. That group needs a steady presence on the back end, and Stukes has provided it.
Over the next few years, he could develop into one of the best players on the roster. The Raiders have a player who should be a centerpiece and a cornerstone of their defense for years to come.
Vegas will need him on Sunday against the New England Patriots. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye had an incredible game last week, picking apart the Buffalo Bills‘ defense left and right. Either way, the Raiders have Stukes back on the field, and he’s coming off a week where the league let him off the hook.
