Connor Heyward and Jalen Nailor have just become the latest former Michigan State football teammates to become NFL teammates.
According to Adam Schefter, Heyward has agreed to terms on a two-year, $5.5 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders with $2 million guaranteed. He leaves the Pittsburgh Steelers after four years where he was a do-everything utility guy on the offensive side of the ball as an H-back type player. He played a similar role in East Lansing, but he needed a change of scenery.
You might be thinking, isn’t Nailor on the Vikings? Well, like Heyward, his rookie deal came to an end this offseason and Nailor just signed a massive deal with the Raiders.
How big was his deal? How about three years for $35 million with $23 million guaranteed. That’s a big payday for the former Michigan State wideout, making him the 33rd-highest paid receiver in the NFL, just ahead of Travis Hunter and right behind Darius Slayton.
Nailor and Heyward were teammates for four years in East Lansing and will now reunite in Las Vegas where the Spartan wide receiver played high school ball.
It’s been a huge offseason for Spartan free agents in the NFL
Nailor and Heyward weren’t the only Spartans to ink big deals this offseason with new teams, but Kenneth Walker III may have been the most prominent free agent running back signing during free agency.
Walker just signed with the Kansas City Chiefs which was one of the spots that I thought was going to be best for him. The Chiefs could have an elite offense next season with a more balanced attack, and Walker gives them just that. After agreeing to terms with the Chiefs, Walker officially becomes the fourth-highest paid running back in the NFL behind just Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey, and Derrick Henry.
Following career years for Walker and Nailor, they’re going to get paid. They’ll earn nearly $80 million combined if they live out their entire contracts with their respective teams. For the role that Heyward plays, a $5.5 million deal is great.
Nailor and Heyward will now be AFC West rivals of Walker’s in 2026 — all three Spartans were on that same 2021 Peach Bowl-winning team in 2021.
The Raiders just earned some new fans in East Lansing for next season.