The hype of free agency has come and gone and now it’s time to look at what teams have gained and lost since March 16th and where they stand as they prepare for the upcoming draft. Let’s rant about the Las Vegas Raiders.
Las Vegas Raiders
Key acquisitions: WR Davante Adams, DE Chandler Jones, DT Bilal Nichols, LB Jayon Brown, CB Anthony Averett, CB Rock Ya-Sin, LB Micah Kiser, LB Kyler Fackrell, CB Darius Phillips, DT Vernon Butler, S Duron Harmon, WR Demarcus Robinson, RB Brandon Bolden, FB Jakob Johnson, WR Mack Hollins, RB Ameer Abdullah, TE Jacob Hollister, QB Nick Mullens, G Alex Bars, QB Garrett Gilbert
Re-signed: DT Johnathan Hankins, OT Brandon Parker
Departures: DE Yannick Ngakoue (Colts), CB Casey Hayward (Falcons), LB Cory Littleton (Panthers), DE Carl Nassib, WR Zay Jones (Jaguars), DT Quinton Jefferson (Seahawks), DT Solomon Thomas (Jets), QB Marcus Mariota (Falcons), FB Alec Ingold (Dolphins), LB Nick Kwiatkoski, LB Nicholas Morrow (Bears), CB Brandon Facyson (Colts)
Remaining free agents: RB Peyton Barber, G Richie Incognito, WR DeSean Jackson, C Nick Martin, DT Gerald McCoy, LB Patrick Onwuasor, DT Darius Philon, RB Jalen Richard, CB Desmond Trufant, OLB K.J. Wright
Analysis: There is new life in Las Vegas. A breath of fresh air, getting rid of Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock and bringing in the Patriot way with Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler. The Raiders were big spenders this offseason, paying for big players, solid players, and acquiring the best player at his position in one of the most shocking moves in NFL history.
That move, as you all should know by now, is the acquisition of All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams from the Packers, reuniting with college quarterback Derek Carr. The Fresno State product had developed into the best receiver in the game with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, but the sides could not come to agreement on a new contract, which resulted in the Packers placing the franchise tag on Adams, something he did not want, and publicly said he would not play in 2022 on the tag. So, instead of working out a deal, the Packers traded him to the Raiders for a first and second-round pick, and subsequently signed a massive five-year, $141.25 million contract, making him the highest-paid receiver and resetting the market. Carr now has a bona fide No. 1 receiver, one who is very familiar with, to play alongside Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller.
We got the big move out of the way, let’s talk about another big move, this time on defense. The Raiders signed Pro Bowl pass rusher Chandler Jones to a three-year, $51 million contract. The 32-year-old has had a great career, but has fallen off over the last two seasons. He only had one sack in 2020 through five games before missing the season with a torn bicep. Then he came out hot in 2021 with 5 SACKS in Week 1, but only managed 5.5 the rest of the season. He’s still a very good player, but the Raiders are taking a bit of a risk, but if you’re going all out like this, it’s worth it. Jones and Maxx Crosby, who signed a big extension in March, form a very good, yet expensive, pass rushing duo, along with former first round (bust?) Clelin Ferrell.
Now to the other moves, while they might not be as big of names as Adams and Jones, are very good players that will soon become household names if all goes well.
Starting on defense, on the defensive line, the Raiders signed former Bears defensive tackle Bilal Nichols, a four-year starter since coming in as a fifth-round pick in 2018. They also brought in Vernon Butler, a former Panthers first-round pick who spent the last two seasons in Buffalo. They also brought back veteran Johnathan Hankins to fill out a very good defensive line. They needed new bodies after parting with Quinton Jefferson and Solomon Thomas.
At linebacker, they brought in former Titans starter Jayon Brown, along with former Packer, Giant, and Charger Kyler Fackrell and former Ram and Bronco Micah Kiser. They need bodies after cutting Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski, both big signings in 2020. Brown is a very good player, but was starting to lose his starting job the last couple seasons while dealing with injuries. He gets a fresh start to lead this defense alongside Denzel Perryman.
In the secondary, Vegas made big moves in signing former Ravens starter Anthony Averett, former Bengals starter and return specialist Darius Phillips, former Patriots, Lions and Falcons safety Duron Harmon, and trading for former Colts starter Rock Ya-Sin. Averett was a backup until last season when he was thrust into a starting role following a preseason injury to Marcus Peters, and he played well. He gets a one-year contract to prove himself. Phillips was a starter in 2020 after being a stud returner in 2019, but went back to being the primary returner and a reserve role on defense in 2021. It’s unclear his role in 2022, but he’ll have a spot on defense or special teams. Harmon has been a solid player his entire career, highlighted by big game-ending interceptions with the Patriots, and has been able to maintain full-time starting jobs each of the last two seasons with the Lions and Falcons. He figures to have a starting role alongside Trevon Moehrig and Johnathan Abrams. Ya-Sin, who was traded in exchange for Yannick Ngakoue, is a former second-round pick in 2019 and was a borderline starter the last three seasons mainly due to necessity. He gets a chance at a starting job with Casey Hayward gone while competing with Averett, Phillips, Trayvon Mullen and Nate Hobbs.
Back on offense, in addition to Adams, the Raiders brought in longtime Chief Demarcus Robinson and former Dolphin Mack Hollins. Both were WR3/4 on their teams, and will be competing with each other along with Bryan Edward, for jobs left behind by Zay Jones. They also added Jacob Hollister at tight end, and will likely be the TE3 behind Waller and Foster Moreau.
With Patriots ties at head coach and general manager, you of course had to bring in a couple Patriots. Longtime running back Brandon Bolden and German fullback Jakob Johnson join the fold, along with former Lion, Viking, and Panther Ameer Abdullah. Johnson takes the place of Alec Ingold, and Bolden and Abdullah join a backfield led by Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake.
The Raiders arguably weakest spot last season was offensive line, and they didn’t do much to address it, signing former Bears backup Alex Bars…that’s it. Oh and they brought back Brandon Parker, a former third-round pick who’s been a spot starter for four year and had maintained a starting job last season.
Conclusion: That was a long one, but that’s the norm for the Raiders. Under Mayock they were towards the top of the number of free agent signings his three seasons, but that mentality may still be the same under the new regime. This isn’t uncommon for a new head coach-general manager tandem to make moves like this to see what works and what sticks in order to build the team that they want, and they are heading in the right direction. Acquiring Davante Adams was unheard of, but they pulled it off while not giving up the house. They gave their (star?) QB an elite new weapon, and a nice new contract extension, shutting down any doubts about whether he is the franchise. This is a good team now, and the AFC West is an absolute juggernaut now. Everyone is trying to put themselves over the top, but which one will do it?
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