Green Bay Packers fans know all about getting excited about Eric Stokes and then getting disappointed. And now, Las Vegas Raiders fans are getting a taste of what that experience is like.
Signed by the Raiders to a one-year, $3.5 million "prove it" deal, Stokes, who's currently projected to start for Pete Carroll's crew at right cornerback, had a solid outing in the Raiders' preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks, earning a respectable enough 68.6 overall PFF grade on 20 defensive snaps. The 26-year-old saw just two passes thrown in his direction, neither of which resulted in a reception.
This past Saturday, however, things took a turn for the worse. Facing the San Francisco 49ers, Stokes was targeted three times in 11 coverage snaps, and all three passes went for completions, resulting in 41 yards of offense and giving the fifth-year veteran a dismal passer rating against figure of 118.8.
As one can imagine, Raiders fans, who are as passionate as any in the NFL, responded just as one would expect them to on social media during the game. Naturally, many Packers fans chimed in as well, telling supporters of the Silver & Black that the worst is yet to come.
Green Bay, of course, took Stokes in the first round of the 2021 draft with the 29th overall pick. We could get into what Aaron Rodgers likely thought of the Packers once again opting not to take a wide receiver in the first round, but we won't go down that road again.
As a rookie, Stokes played plenty of solid football, which Matt LaFleur & Co. sorely needed with Jaire Alexander appearing in just four games. The Georgia alum wasn't perfect by any means, but he led the Packers with 14 passes defended and ranked sixth on the team with 55 total tackles, also notching an interception. But that's as good as it got.
In 2022, Stokes played nowhere near the level he had as a rookie, earning a 53.7 overall PFF grade in nine games before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. He then appeared in just four games during the 2023 campaign due to various injuries and didn't play well even when he did take the field, thus leading the Packers to decline the fifth-year option on his rookie deal.
Stokes appeared in all 17 regular-season games for Green Bay a season ago, as well as the team's postseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. And while his play improved a touch, it wasn't nearly enough, and it became a too-little-too-late situation, as he only started seven games and was ultimately shown the door.
Now, two preseason games obviously aren't enough to genuinely judge anyone. But again, Packers fans have seen this story play out before, and Raiders fans may want to brace themselves for an interesting year from their new cornerback.