With the departures of both starting linebackers from the 2024 roster in free agency, the Las Vegas Raiders are bringing in veteran Elandon Roberts to bolster the middle of the defense.

Roberts, who spent his last two seasons in Pittsburgh, signed with the Raiders on Thursday. Shortly after making things official with the Silver and Black, he addressed the local media for the first time and expressed his excitement for the opportunity that lies ahead with Head Coach Pete Carroll and the Raiders.

"I mean, it's the Raiders," Roberts said. "What wouldn't attract anyone to the Raiders? Just the foundation that was set with this organization way back, even before my time."

"One thing about Pete, I think he has a big personality, not just as a football coach, but as a person," Roberts added. "And it was exciting meeting him. It was exciting talking to him when I was able to talk to him Wednesday. But just meeting him, feeling his energy and feeling his personality, you know that it's genuine."

As for his potential role in the defense, Roberts wants nothing handed to him.

"I'm a guy that, I like to earn everything," he said. "So, what me and Coach talked about, we'll just keep that between me and Coach. I'd rather go out there and earn it. The first side of that is earning it from a standpoint of getting in the building, earning my coaches' trust, earning my teammates' trust, earning the organization's trust, and then from that point, what I do in the building and being able to bring that product to Sundays, I'll eventually earn the city of Vegas and the Raider Nation's trust."

Gaining the trust of a locker room is something Roberts has done throughout his career. He's a four-time team captain (2019-22) and was the Miami Dolphins' Ed Block Courage Award winner in 2021.

That type of high-character addition to the roster is something General Manager John Spytek surely considered when deciding whether to make Roberts a part of the organization.

"What does it mean to be a Raider? What are the qualities that we're going to stand for? What are qualities that everybody that comes into this building is going to stand for? I take that very personally and very seriously as a responsibility of mine," Spytek said at his introductory press conference in January. "The scouts are in charge of finding the right kind of people to bring into an organization. There's no greater responsibility, I don't think, than that. Our character will be our fate in a sense."

As Roberts gets acclimated to life as a Raider, he'll have some former teammates from previous stops to help smooth the transition.

Roberts played with Adam Butler and Christian Wilkins in Miami and with Jakobi Meyers in New England. He also has familiarity with the coaching staff.

"Me and Robbie [Rob Leonard] are real close," Roberts said. "Me and PG [Patrick Graham], he's never been my actual coach, but it's like, right when I got to New England, he left, right when I got to Miami, he left. Me and Brian Flores are real close, not just as a coach-player, but as, like, we have a big brother-little brother relationship. I really look up to him. So, him and Pat Graham's relationship and how he feels about PG, it felt like I always knew PG.

"Knowing some people in the building brings a certain level of calmness. But at the same time, my job is to get with everybody in the building, learn their name, learn their faces, get to know all my teammates. Today, I'm going to hit up all the inside backers and a few other people on the defense, just to introduce myself and open my line up right away, and not waiting until OTAs and stuff like that, because that's what it takes to get the goal that we want to get accomplished."

Roberts knows what it takes to reach the mountaintop. Originally a sixth-round pick with the Patriots, he's won two Super Bowls (LI and LIII) and reached the playoffs in seven of his nine seasons.

Now entering his 10th year in the league, Roberts understands the process necessary to produce consistently at a high level.

"Not taking it for granted. Not taking your opponents for granted. Not taking what you do for granted," he said. "Not taking your teammates, your coaches, the relationships, even the relationships you build with the media for granted, because it all reflects on you. One thing about myself, my dad's a military guy. I'm very structured. I'm very to the point. It's a time and a place for everything."

One thing he's always seemed to find a time and place for is physicality. It's an aspect of his game – along with leadership and experience – that he hopes to bring to the Raiders defense this season.

"I think it just sends a message of how and what style of ball we want to play," he said. "But at the same time, I think being physical and being that type of player, you have to take into account that teams know that.

"I'm going on Year 10, so I've been blessed to be able to experience the positive and the negative with it. But you know one thing about me, I'm going to set that tone, so we are going to have some fun out here Raider Nation."