Former Ducks WR Malik Benson signs contract with Las Vegas Raiders

Less than a week after being selected in the sixth round at No. 195 overall, wide receiver Malik Benson and the Las Vegas Raiders have agreed on a contract. The former Oregon Duck signed his four-year, $4.66 million deal on Thursday, with the deal including a $282,000 signing bonus.

The moment had to have meant a lot to Benson, who traversed from Hutchinson Community College, then to Alabama and Florida State before finally landing at Oregon for his final year.

Up until his time with the Ducks, Benson was considered a project, as he struggled with drops and never quite carved out a prominent role with the Crimson Tide or Seminoles. Early on in his Oregon tenure, that looked to be the same sentiment. Then, things began to fall Benson's way.

An early November injury to true freshman wide receiver Dakorien Moore forced Benson into the starting lineup, where he produced immediately. He notched his first 100-yard game of his career in the regular-season finale before putting another triple digit performance on the board in the Ducks' College Football Playoff first round game against James Madison.

By the end of the year, Benson was Oregon's leading receiver with 43 receptions for 719 yards and six touchdowns, also adding a key punt return score in a late-season victory over USC. The electricity that the former Duck showed with the ball in his hands, plus his deep-threat abilities, made him a viable NFL prospect come the 2026 NFL Draft.

The Raiders saw that in Benson and nabbed him in the sixth round, now agreeing to a contract prior to the team's rookie minicamp taking place on May 1-3.

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