Nakobe Dean Leaves Eagles Fans With One Final Gift

The Philadelphia Eagles unfortunately will not have Nakobe Dean on the roster in 2026.

He spent the last four seasons with the franchise and reportedly agreed to terms on a three-year deal worth $36 million with the Las Vegas Raiders, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

"Breaking: The Raiders are signing former Eagles LB Nakobe Dean to a 3/36M deal per sources," Schultz wrote. "The former Georgia Bulldog started 27 games for Philadelphia and is one of the best blitzing linebackers in the NFL."

The former Eagles star is joining the Raiders

Dec 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean (17) stands during the National Anthem before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Losing Dean is tough. While the Eagles have Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell ready to roll, Dean became a fan favorite over the course of his four seasons in Philadelphia. With that being said, fans will have one more reason to love Dean. Although he is reportedly leaving, rumors connected him to the Dallas Cowboys for weeks leading up to the opening of free agency on Monday. But that's not where he landed. NFL Network's Jane Slater reported that Dean did meet with the Cowboys on Zoom and Dallas even made a similar offer as the Raiders, but he opted against going to Dallas.

"Just talked with someone close to the situation and apparently Dallas was actually very competitive in the Nakobe Dean market," Slater wrote. "He was one of their [five Zooms] allowed. I’m told their offer was similar to the Raiders but ultimately he went with his gut feeling but was told he could have seen himself in both places and it was '51/49' margin but Raiders won this one. At least tells you Dallas is trying."

Just talked with someone close to the situation and apparently Dallas was actually very competitive in the Nakobe Dean market.

He was one of their 5 zooms allowed. I’m told their offer was similar to the Raiders but ultimately he went with his gut feeling but was told he could…
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) March 9, 2026

Dean may be out the door, but the fact that he opted to join the Raiders, rather than staying in the division as a member of the Cowboys, certainly is something that will likely get the fanbase excited. The Eagles have some work to do after losing a handful of key pieces on Monday, including Dean. But at least Philadelphia won't have to face off against the young linebacker twice per year over the next three years. It never seemed likely that he would be back in 2026, but he still gave the team one more gift.