Raiders Under Contract: LB Amari Burney

The 23-year-old linebacker returned in Week 15, posting two combined tackles in the Raiders' 63-21 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. It would be the last game Burney played on defense in the 2023 season. He played in Las Vegas' final three contests, but only on special teams.

Burney's place on the team is going to be crucial going forward, as Robert Spillane, Deablo, Masterson, and Darien Butler are all set to become free agents in 2025.

Pierce, who served as the Raiders' linebackers coach before his promotion this season, knows Burney's potential as well as anyone.

"You always see him studying, he’s asking questions," Pierce said in a press conference on Nov. 8, a few days after Burney's game against the Giants. "He's not a big rah-rah guy, sometimes you kind of lose him a little bit because he's a rookie. And rookies get lost, but you got to grab them back in. 

"But he's done an excellent job of just keeping his focus, especially when you’re not playing because you can kind of get lost in the shuffle, right? And he has not done that. And when I was in the linebacker room with him and the countless hours that we spent outside of meeting time of getting an extra film session is now paying off, and the kid has confidence as he goes on the field.”

From February 27 to March 4, 2024, the NFL Scouting Combine will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.

The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently hold the No. 13 overall pick.

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