The Las Vegas Raiders were excited about the possibility of adding young linebacker to a position of need when they signed Christian Elliss to a restricted free-agent contract offer sheet.
In a bit of a surprise, however, the New England Patriots decided to match the offer (which was for two years, $13.5 million) that the Raiders and Elliss, agreed to.
It was considered a loss of an opportunity for the Raiders as Elliss was going to likely be given a chance to start after starting just seven career games.
Yet, despite the need at the position, it doesn’t mean like a lot of our community members are overly upset that Elliss (who could conceivably still be traded to the Raiders) is staying in New England. We recently asked our community members how they felt about the Patriots deciding to keep Elliss.
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#### [Raiders offseason: Are you bummed about Christian Elliss?](https://www.silverandblackpride.com/2025/3/26/24393111/raiders-christian-elliss-restricted-free-agent-patriots-linebacker)
In a poll with 341 votes cast, 216 voters (63 percent) didn’t think Elliss was a big loss, while 216 voters (37 percent) indicated they were bummed by the loss.
I get both sides. But it is what it is and on to the next one.