Raiders News

Going through the draft process can be difficult and overwhelming for many prospects. It can be especially overwhelming for a player like Colorado quarterback

The Las Vegas Raiders will be among the most active teams when free agency begins in a few weeks. The Raiders have ample cap space, which new general manager Jo

Returning Raider Nation’s questions for the week

Kyle Trask | Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images Returning Raider Nation’s questions for the week The offseason is in full swing as the NFL Combine starts next week, so get prepared for some Las Vegas Raiders free agency and NFL Draft rumors to start flying off the shelves. To get things started, let’s dive into this week’s mailbag and talk about the Raiders’ quarterback situation. Q: I remember when Pete Carroll went after Matt Flynn and Charlie Whitehurst. Are there any under-the-radar guys that were always whispered about having potential? See anyone in the league like that now? The easy answer is Joe Milton I suppose. A: I think Milton is an option if the Patriots are willing to trade him in the offseason. But one player who fits the mold of the two guys you mentioned above is Kyle Trask. John Spytek was a part of the Buccaneers’ front office when they used a second-round pick on Trask to serve as Tom Brady’s backup and potential heir apparent. However, Tampa Bay ended up signing Baker Mayfield after Brady retired and Trask has remained a backup over the last two years. Similar to what Carroll did with the Seahawks in 2012 by signing Flynn and drafting Russell Wilson, I could see a situation where the Raiders sign Trask and use a second- or third-round pick on a guy like Jaxson Dart, Will Howard or Tyler Shough. Another name to throw out there is Zach Wilson, who has talent that could be worth taking a low-risk flier on. Also, it would be interesting to see Trey Lance in Chip Kelly’s offense given Lance’s rushing ability, but I don’t have confidence in him as a passer. Q: Are either Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders worth trading a couple of high draft picks for, or would it be better to stay at six, keep the picks, and grab a QB in the second or third round? Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images Cam Ward A: Understandably, I’ve gotten this question a few times this offseason. I’m intrigued by Ward’s arm talent and think he has a legitimate shot at being a quality starting quarterback in the league, so I’d be willing to trade up for him. That being said, something like what the Panthers gave up to get Bryce Young would be too rich for my blood. However, I’m not that high on Sanders and would prefer to see the Raiders sit back and let him fall to them or take someone else at six if he gets drafted in the top five picks. Mark Davis' hair If the raider do land a qb like Sam darnold, will they still go after someone like a cam ward or Shadeur Sanders in the first round or will they opt to draft one of the second tier qb's like jalen milroe or jaxson dart? A: I would imagine Sam Darnold gets a long-term contract this offseason after taking the one-year “prove-it” deal last spring, so I think the Raiders would address other positions in the draft this year. Unlike the veteran quarterbacks mentioned above, Darnold has a good year as a starter under his belt which gives him more leverage on the open market. Plus, he’s arguably the best quarterback available in free agency, so I don’t think Las Vegas will be his only potential destination. I’d imagine Darnold’s contract will have enough guaranteed money to function as a two- to three-year deal, meaning the organization that signs him will be committing to him for at least a couple of seasons. Q: Which defensive players do you think are most likely to be re-signed? A: I think the most likely is Robert Spillane, assuming he’s willing to take a short-term deal since he’s been one of the leaders of the defense and productive over the last two years. Also, I’d imagine he’ll get an eight-figure-per-year deal ($10-$12 million range) but not something that’s over the top ridiculous. The injuries give me hesitation, but Nate Hobbs is another decent candidate to return under similar stipulations as Spillane. Additionally, I’d assume Isaiah Pola-Mao will be brought back since he’s a restricted free agent and should be easy to re-sign. The guy I’d most like to see get re-signed is Tre’von Moehrig. However, I get the feeling he’s going to get paid in free agency and could see a new regime not wanting to hand out a big contract to a guy it didn’t draft. Malcolm Koonce is another tricky situation, more on that below. Q: Should the Raiders prioritize drafting the best available edge rusher in the second round or re-sign Malcolm Koonce? Which prospects do you feel could be available at 37 with a higher ceiling than Koonce, if any? Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images Malcolm Koonce A: I don’t think it’s out of the question to do both. In my opinion, the ideal situation with Koonce is that he signs a short-term “prove-it” contract to, essentially, make up for missing last season and the Raiders also draft another edge rusher in case Koonce ends up walking when the new contract is up. I was very encouraged by what the former third-round pick showed in 2023 in both phases of the game, he just has a small sample size right now. Hopefully, he’s willing to come back and prove himself, but I fear that another club will gamble on what he showed two years ago and offer Koonce a bigger contract. That’s where the situation gets a lot more complicated. Do the Raiders try to match it and take the risk? Or bring back someone like K’Lavon Chaisson instead and draft another pass-rusher? I don’t have a good answer for that. As for options at pick 37, the guy I seem to be a lot higher on than others in the draft space is Princely Umanmielen from Ole Miss. I view Umanmielen as a late-first-round talent, so I’d be all for taking him in the second. MichaelMatto I didn't see any Raider FAs worth tagging--did you? And are there any player who might get the transition tag on other teams we should be looking to make an offer to? A: I touched on this in a little more detail earlier this week — see the related article below. Koonce could be the most likely guy to get tagged seeing as the organization will likely offer a short-term deal to him anyway. Maybe Moehrig gets the tag, but the safety figure is pretty pricey at roughly $20 million. Q: Seeing how the Eagles’ defensive line dominated the Chiefs, do you think it would be a good idea to trade for Myles Garrett or build the DL through the draft? Also, what would it take to get Garrett? A: In my opinion, Garrett is the best defensive player in the league (sorry Maxx Crosby). I’d love it if Garrett came to Las Vegas but the price tag is going to be extremely high, in the Khalil Mack two first-round picks range and maybe even more. Also, Garrett has been adamant about playing for a Super Bowl contender, so I don’t think he’d want to go to a team that is coming off a 4-13 season. Granted, he doesn’t have a ton of leverage without a no-trade clause in his contract. I like where your head is at in building out the defensive line, though. I just think it’s more likely that the Raiders do it via the draft than making a splash trade. Q: Savion Williams, what do you think of this guy? I haven’t been able to dive too deep into the wide receiver class yet, so I haven’t studied Williams. But my colleague at Bleacher Report, Dame Parson, is someone whose opinion I trust. Below is a snippet of his scouting report on the former TCU Horned Frog. Parson’s comp for Williams is Chase Claypool, whose NFL career didn’t last long, but that had more to do with attitude issues than Claypool’s talent. “Williams is a great run-after-catch threat in the open field,” Parson wrote. “That great explosiveness and long speed make him a threat to take it the distance at any given moment. Williams’ agility is impressive for a player of his stature—he can weave in and out of traffic for YAC. He makes defenders miss in space and deploys a quick spin move in tight quarters. TCU converted him into a “wide back” offensive weapon like San Francisco 49ers Deebo Samuel. Williams is a playmaker in space with manufactured/gadget touches. “...Overall, Savion Williams projects as WR3/4 with developmental tools and positional versatility. The combination of strength, speed, and agility with the ball in his hands can be dangerous. There’s plenty of upside at the wide receiver position, but the landing spot will be paramount for him to reach his ceiling.” Benjamin A. Sorensen What do the Raiders have to worry about the *least* this offseason? A: The list is short and probably limited to tight end, center and right tackle with Brock Bowers, Jackson Powers-Johnson and DJ Glaze. Left tackle isn’t an immediate need, but Kolton Miller is about to enter a contract year and has been banged up throughout his career. So, adding a blind-side protector for the long haul this spring isn’t out of the question. Right now, the Raiders’ roster has a ton of needs and uncertainty with 27 impending free agents, including restricted and exclusive rights guys. RaiderPike95123 How much of our cap space carried over from last year? Is there a minimum we must spend this year or over the next few years? A: According to Over The Cap, the Raiders carried over about $33.6 million which is the fourth-most in the NFL. Every team must spend at least 89 percent of the salary cap between 2024 and 2026. So, the organization doesn’t necessarily have to spend 89 percent of the cap this year but it would have to make up the difference next offseason if it falls short. The cap is projected to be between $277.5 million and $281.5 million this year, meaning Las Vegas needs to spend just under $247 million to about $250.5 million on the entire roster. Baman Here's a soft ball, who are you most looking forward to perform at the combine? Any position, any player, any reason A: I don’t think he’ll participate since his draft stock is already so high, but it would be fun to see what type of numbers Penn State’s Abdul Carter puts up since he’s such a freak athlete. Outside of Carter, I’ll definitely be keeping a close eye on Michigan defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant since those guys are bigger dudes who can move. MtShastaRaiders Without considering FA possibilities will the Raiders reach or go BPA at 6th ? A: If Ward or Sanders are there, I think the Raiders get their quarterback. Otherwise, best player available since the team has so many needs with the way things stand right now. That’ll do it for this week’s mailbag. Thank you all for submitting questions and, as your weekly reminder, if you’d like to have your questions answered in a future column, tweet them at me, @MHolder95, email them to [email protected] or look for our weekly call for questions on the site. The latter will continue to publish on Thursdays.

Starting February 27, the NFL world will descend on Indianapolis for the annual draft combine. All 32 NFL teams get the chance to compare the top prospects at each position through a series of drills. They will also have the opportunity to hold interviews with prospects, hoping to gain significant insights on the players they The post appeared first on .

The Las Vegas Raiders definitely need to add some more weapons this offseason, but that does not mean they are completely bereft of talent at the skill position

There are a handful of teams as we approach the 2025 NFL Draft that make sense to trade all the way up to the #1 overall pick for a quarterback

Starting February 27, the NFL world will descend on Indianapolis for the annual draft combine. All 32 NFL teams get the chance to compare the top prospects at each position through a series of drills.

The main objective this offseason for the Las Vegas Raiders is to finally find their long-term answer at the quarterback position. Many possibilities exist for the Raiders in free agency and the trade market for a solution under center. That said, a rookie starter gives the Raiders serious cap flexibility over the next few years, The post appeared first on .

Everyone knows that the Las Vegas Raiders desperately need a quarterback and almost certainly will not be heading into 2025 with Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Con

Raiders trade rumors are a big emphasis in today’s Raiders mailbag, with the biggest question being should the Raiders trade for DK Metcalf & would the Seaha...

The main objective this offseason for the Las Vegas Raiders is to finally find their long-term answer at the quarterback position. Many possibilities exist for the Raiders in free agency and the trade market for a solution under center.

As the new Raiders regime looks to retool their quarterbacks depth chart, some of the team’s incumbent signal callers may be pushed off the roster.

The Las Vegas Raiders must find a way to supply whoever will be playing quarterback in 2025 with some more adequate weapons, and there are many ways to go about

Think you can figure out which Raiders player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game!

Bowers was the No. 2 tight end on the list

Brock Bowers | Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images Bowers was the No. 2 tight end on the list Pro Football Focus released its Top 101 players of the 2024 season this week and the Las Vegas Raiders had one player make the cut, rookie tight end Brock Bowers, which should come as no surprise. Bowers was listed 40th overall as he put together a historic season using the site’s metrics. “Bowers’ first year in the NFL was one for the record books,” Mason Cameron, Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick wrote. “His 88.4 PFF receiving grade is the highest ever recorded by a first-year tight end in the PFF era (since 2006), highlighted with record-breaking marks in receptions (112), yards after catch (596), first-down receptions (61) and contested catches (16). The latter also ranks among the top eight all-time at the position, placing him alongside the likes of Travis Kelce (2018) and Jimmy Graham (2017).” The Offensive Rookie of the Year runner-up was ahead of tight ends Trey McBride (42) of the Arizona Cardinals and the Baltimore Ravens’ Mark Andrews (75) but was the second-ranked player at the position behind George Kittle (13) from the San Francisco 49ers. PFF had Kittle graded higher as both a receiver (92.4) and run-blocker (70.8) as those figures led and ranked second among tight ends this year. In Other Raiders’ Links: Malaki Starks film breakdown: see what the former Georgia safety and 2025 NFL Draft prospect could bring to Las Vegas. Malcolm Koonce free agency preview: “There’s a high likelihood Crosby and the Raiders aren’t the only team to notice the work ethic and progression Koonce has made since being picked in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft,” Silver and Black Pride’s Ray Aspuria wrote. “Koonce is set to have no shortage of suitors and he’d be wise to see what the market dictates his value at while listening to any overtures the Raiders make for his return.” Raiders listed as “best fit” for Sam Darnold: “The former No. 3 overall pick has certainly restored his image since a tumultuous five-year start with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, parlaying a year of tutelage with the San Francisco 49ers into a full-blown breakout with the Vikings,” CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin wrote. “His poised and aggressive 35-touchdown showcase under Kevin O’Connell ultimately ended with a whimper, however, as he folded under pressure in Minnesota’s last — and most important — two games.” Las Vegas trades up for Shedeur Sanders in mock draft: “They have an extra third-round pick as a result of the Davante Adams trade, so they didn’t hesitate to ship one out to land their guy: Sanders,” The Athletic’s Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed wrote. “Sanders has a strong relationship (and had an NIL deal in college) with minority owner Tom Brady, has already met owner Mark Davis and should be comfortable in offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s system, which blends NFL and college concepts.”

Think you can figure out which Raiders player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game! Hey Raiders fans! We’re back for another day of the Silver & Black Pride in-5 daily trivia game. Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game! Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in the Google Form. Today’s Silver & Black Pride in-5 game If you can’t see the game due to Apple News or another service, click this game article. Previous games Friday, February 21Thursday, February 20Wednesday, February 19 Play more SB Nation in-5 trivia games NFL in-5MLB in-5MMA in-5 Silver and Black Pride in-5 instructions The goal of the game is to guess the correct Raiders player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it. After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form. Enjoy!

The Las Vegas Raiders offense has bits and pieces of offensive players to build around, mainly tight end Brock Bowers. One area that the franchise should look t

The Las Vegas Raiders took tight end Michael Mayer in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and while the young tight end showcased potential in 2023, the Rai