Once a Raider, Always a Raider; a saying that members of the Las Vegas Raiders feel as passionate about as fans—just ask star left tackle Kolton Miller.
The biggest story surrounding Sin City’s football team heading into the 2025 NFL Draft was Kolton Miller being in the final year of his current contract. As the draft continued creeping closer, this situation began stealing the spotlight from everything else happening in Las Vegas.
To the point that tackles Armand Membou and Kelvin Banks Jr. became last-second favorites to wind up with the Las Vegas Raiders at pick six.
And even an entire month after Ashton Jeanty and his draftmates were officially part of the Silver and Black, questions about Miller and his contract remained unanswered.
Would Miller show up to OTAs? Is a holdout on the horizon for the seven-year veteran? Perhaps he’s ready to turn to the next chapter in his professional football career.
On Tuesday, the Raiders’ former first-rounder decided to clear the air. It was finally time to answer the questions many people have asked for weeks now—for some, months.
In the meantime, some of those questions did receive answers naturally. Most notably, Miller did in fact attend OTAs, putting to rest the potential holdout scenario.
The 29-year-old explained exactly why whether or not he’d attend OTAs was never actually a question.
“I’ve been here for a long time, man,” Miller began noting during the team’s latest press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
“This is what I do, and [I’m] looking to improve each day. The direction the organization is going with Pete, he’s preaching competition. We gotta make everyone better, including the young guys, so I’m going to continue what I’m doing and leading the guys. And that’s how I’m rolling.”
“I don’t want to go anywhere else,” says Las Vegas Raiders stud LT Kolton Miller
Time didn’t answer every question surrounding Miller, however. And for those time didn’t address, Miller did.
That includes his [preferred] future with the Las Vegas Raiders.
“I want to be a Raider for life,” Miller emphatically replied to a question about his football future.
“I love it here and I don’t want to go anywhere else. And I only know one way to do it. That’s showing up, getting better each day.”
As things stand, Miller’s deal in full – including years already passed – makes him the 13th-highest paid left tackle across the NFL annually. The UCLA alum takes up a cap hit of $15.7 million heading into the new season and is due for a well-deserved payday.
But the open market isn’t where Miller wants to be, even if it means earning top dollar. With the Raiders is where the team’s leader upfront wants to stay.
And his reasoning is simple: Miller loves the road the Raiders are currently traveling down.
“The pieces we added this offseason, the energy, the direction, Pete.. he’s really master-crafted coming in, and how to do things. And the guys, we’re taking it, and we’re rolling. It’s been really fun. And we’ve gotten so much.. this is probably one of the most productive OTAs I’ve been a part of.”
If there’s one thing first-year Raiders general manager John Spytek has made clear since coming to Sin City, it’s his understanding of how important it is to win in the trenches. Tristan Wirfs, Tampa Bay’s 13th-overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, is a player Spytek continuously references to reinforce that philosophy.
Raiders head coach Pete Carroll isn’t much different in that regard, either.
For now, Miller’s contract is on the backburner in the eyes of both parties. The main focus? The game of football, as Las Vegas continues getting ready for Year 1 of the Pete Carroll era.
*Top Photo: Bobby Ellis/Getty Images
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