After the first wave of free agency, there is one aspect of the Raiders’ moves that is making one thing very clear
The Raiders have gone young in free agency.
The Las Vegas Raiders have been rebuilding for about 20 years, aside from a few successful seasons. They haven’t won a playoff game in over two decades.
And yet, this rebuild really does feel different, even if that phrase is said out loud way too often. They have an elite GM in John Spytek. Vegas has its coach in Klint Kubiak, who just won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks. They have a young, up-and-coming defensive coordinator in Rob Leonard and an amazing staff around both guys. Of course, they have their franchise guy in Maxx Crosby, the cornerstone, and eventually the franchise quarterback in Fernando Mendoza. They will also have other pieces to build around that they bring in with their 10 2026 NFL Draft picks.
But the most telling thing is what they’ve done during the first wave of free agency. A few things are clear after they have made a handful of signings: One, they are already so much better on paper, aside from the depth issue caused by not yet having a full roster. Two, they have a very clear plan in mind—going young and dealing out three-year deals.
Raiders’ first wave of free agency saw them have a clear plan with their signings
The first domino to fall was, of course, the guy that everyone wanted in the center, Tyler Linderbaum. He was signed to a three-year, $81 million deal. The Raiders made the three-year deal a priority for nearly everyone. This says this is their current timeline, whether that’s when they think they should be competing for Super Bowls or the playoffs. That’s around the time they will have to give Mendoza his new deal, too.
- C Tyler Linderbaum: 3-years, $81M
- LB Quay Walker: 3-years, $40.5M
- LB Nakobe Dean: 3-years, $36M
- WR Jalen Nailor: 3-years, $35M
- Kwity Paye: 3-years, $48M
- CB Eric Stokes: 3-years, $30M
- DE Malcolm Koonce: 1-year, $11M
- Trade for CB Taron Johnson
As for the ages, none of these players is over 30. The core of their free agency signings is 25, 25, 25, 27, 27, and 27 years old. Vegas is taking the young but experienced approach. They have a plan in mind, a very obvious one. Now, let’s see if that plan works.
Las Vegas Raiders News
Tyler Linderbaum keeps it all the way real when revealing why he chose to play for the Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders got their guy.
