Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Adam Butler sends a blunt message after the Patriots’ loss, making it clear why the Silver and Black cannot afford to make excuses.
Butler owned the moment on the team’s live postgame show Sunday, following Las Vegas’ road game at New England. “We did everything we could to try and be ready,” Butler said. “At this point, we just gotta get in the film room and identify what went wrong, fix it, and move forward.” He closed by saying “making excuses is not the answer” and that the group has to “get back to work.”
Butler’s words carry weight because of his role…
At 32, he is among the most experienced interior defenders on the roster, and he is signed through 2027 on the three-year, $16.5 million extension he inked in March 2025, which included $11 million in guarantees. Spotrac lists his 2026 cap hit at about $6.57 million with a dead-cap figure near $7.4 million, so cutting him would not save the Raiders a dime this season. That keeps him firmly in the defensive tackle rotation rather than on the roster bubble.
On the field, he logged a career-high 858 defensive snaps in 2024, along with 65 tackles and five sacks, production the Raiders will need him to approximate as opponents test the middle of the line.
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The setting adds a wrinkle…
Butler began his NFL career in New England, signing with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and spending four seasons there before moving on to Miami and then Las Vegas. His health matters too: a biceps injury sidelined him late last year, and any film-room fix that leans on him needs him on the field. Las Vegas won its first three games, but with Buffalo visiting next Sunday, there is little time to dwell.
Postgame quotes rarely change outcomes, but a veteran choosing accountability over excuses sets the tone for a defense that has to correct quickly. Butler stayed light on specifics about what went wrong, which is fair; those details belong in the film room, not on a postgame set. Even so, the message is clear: own it, fix it, and be ready for a quick turnaround.
Expect the interior group to be a central focus of this week’s corrections, with tweaks to the defensive tackle rotation and run fits likely before Buffalo arrives, and Butler’s snap count a number worth watching.
Was this an execution problem the film room can fix, or does the Raiders’ defensive front need bigger changes?
*Top Photo: AP Photo/Ryan Sun