HENDERSON, Nev.—The Las Vegas Raiders (3-2) face a legitimate Super Bowl contender on Sunday as the Buffalo Bills (4-1) and their elite franchise QB, Josh Allen, come to town.
Despite the Bills' home loss to the Patriots in Week 4, the level of competition goes up considerably from the Patriots last week to the Bills this week. Make no mistake, however; the Raiders are looking for an upset of the Bills.
Facing that enormous offensive juggernaut will not be easy, but one underrated Raider is standing out, and according to one NFL executive, he is noticed.
The Beast
While talking with an NFL executive earlier this week about what people around the NFL are saying and the rumors about the NFL trade deadline moves they may make, he mentioned DT Adam Butler.
He told me, “If the Raiders become sellers at the trade deadline, don’t leave out [Adam] Butler. Spy [GM John Spytek] has him on a great deal with I think one year left (he is correct) and that guy is playing like a f---ing beast.”
He elaborated, “I think you got to go back to Richard Seymour before you have a DT for the Raiders that plays that consistent.”
His comments were prophetic. Not since 2011, when Richard Seymour and Tommy Kelly did, have the Raiders had a DT with back-to-back five-sack-or-more seasons. Butler did it in 2023 and 2024 and has been a mainstay of gap integrity, shining even when the Raiders weren’t.
Critics will point out his sack production going down, and that would be true, until you search the numbers and reasons and notice how teams are blocking him, and the way teams are scheming for him.
Either way, he is the most consistent Raiders defensive tackle, and he's far outplaying many of his much higher-paid colleagues in the league, based on where they played and where they were picked.
The pride of Duncanville, Texas, has an enormous football IQ, evidenced by playing at Vanderbilt, and was undrafted.
To go from an undrafted free agent to a nine-year elite veteran is something else, and it tells the story of the player's talent, but there is much more.
Kubiak’s Praise
The Raiders' new leader, Klint Kubiak, is not one to offer personal praise. He prefers to make everything, good or bad, about the team, and I respect that.
But I asked him to set aside his personal preference for talking about the team and reflect on Butler's high level of play and production. He was more than willing to accommodate and praise the Commodore from Vanderbilt.
"Yeah, great question. I think AB [Adam Butler] just from the start has been such a leader here, just the way that he works, the type of professional that he is, and I think the guy's true character sticks out when you're when you're playing at the end of the game, you're down multiple scores, and look no further than his character showing up, making plays."
The Brady, Butler Way
Butler won a Super Bowl in New England with Tom Brady. The greatest player of all time and now a partial owner, Tom Brady has no bigger supporter in this building than Butler.
Yesterday, in the locker room, I asked Butler about helping Brady institute the mentality that every year in the Silver and Black building is all about Super Bowls.
A mentality the two share. Butler was honest.
“Taking that mentality (Super Bowl or Bust) and trying to infect these younger players and get them to see the bigger picture, like is really what it is all about. That’s what I am all about. I try to do that on a daily basis, and that is why they see me as a leader.”
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