ALAMEDA, Calif. – The Oakland Raiders have signed free agent LB Curtis Lofton, the club announced Wednesday.
Lofton joins the Raiders after spending the last three seasons with the New Orleans Saints. A defensive team captain the past two years, Lofton led the team in tackles in each of his two seasons with the Saints. His career totals include 112 games played with 111 starts, 1,058 tackles (689 solo), seven sacks, 11 forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, seven interceptions and 38 passes defensed. He has exceeded 100 tackles each season and led his team in stops the last six seasons.
Before joining the Saints, Lofton spent four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. In 2011, the 6-foot, 241-pounder recorded a career-high 147 tackles (87 solo), and was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week following a Week 17 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in which he led the team with 14 stops (eight solo) and had a 26-yard interception returned for a touchdown.
Lofton has also played in five career postseason games, totaling 45 tackles (27 solo) and one sack.
A native of Kingfisher, Okla., Lofton was originally selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round (37th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma. Lofton played in 39 games at Oklahoma with 19 starts, including four starts at middle linebacker. He recorded 197 tackles (117 solo), one sack, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and three interceptions. His performance as a senior in 2007 earned him Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press and consensus All-American and All-Big 12 Conference honors.
