Raiders' Next Contract Decisions After Garoppolo, Meyers Free-Agent Agreements
The Las Vegas Raiders' 2023 roster is beginning to take shape.
The team largely tried to run things back with a squad that made the playoffs in 2021, but now head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler are tailoring the unit to their liking.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was brought in to replace Derek Carr. Former New England Patriots receiver Jakobi Meyers—who, like Garoppolo, played under McDaniels in New England—was added to the lineup, and Las Vegas traded away star tight end Darren Waller.
These have been the biggest moves of the Raiders' offseason, but they certainly won't be the last. The NFL draft is less than two weeks away, and Ziegler and Co. have a few contract situations to sort through.
The draft is obviously front and center, but we'll take a break from the pre-draft buzz and examine the Raiders' biggest looming contract decisions.
RB Josh Jacobs
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This is the obvious one. Running back Josh Jacobs led the NFL with 1,653 rushing yards this past season and was given the franchise tag early in the offseason.
Las Vegas should be interested in locking up the 25-year-old for the long term, but little ground appears to have been gained on a contract extension so far.
"Jacobs and the Raiders have not yet engaged in any meaningful talks, although that could change at any moment," Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal wrote. "With so much focus on the upcoming NFL draft, it stands to reason both sides will reconvene after the draft to try to find some common ground."
Waiting until after the draft shouldn't be a problem for Las Vegas. It has until July 17 to work out a long-term deal with Jacobs before he'll be limited to playing on the tag in 2023.
An argument could be made that the Raiders should simply lean on the Alabama product for another season and then let him go. He is likely looking for a lucrative deal, and teams regularly find younger and cheaper running back talent in the draft.
However, Jacobs showed this past season that he's a truly special player, and he's still young. Until the Raiders find a more permanent answer at quarterback than Garoppolo, the two-time Pro Bowler should be their offensive centerpiece.
C Andre James
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Center Andre James isn't among the best players at his position like Jacobs, but he was a strong contributor to a Raiders line that took seriously positive steps in 2022.
The unit did a better job of opening holes for Jacobs while allowing five fewer sacks than in 2021.
According to Pro Football Focus, James was responsible for only three penalties and two sacks allowed in 964 offensive snaps.
The 25-year-old is entering the final season of a two-year, $8.7 million deal, and extending him would make a ton of sense.
While James isn't an elite center, he's not a detriment either. He's still young and primed to be a long-term building block along the offensive interior. His 2023 cap hit of $6.7 million is a fair value, and Las Vegas could lower his cap number by extending him a year early.
The UCLA product has just $1.9 million in dead money remaining on his deal. Converting some of his $6.4 million base salary into a bonus could give Las Vegas a little extra financial flexibility—it currently has $11 million in cap space.
Extending James now would also ensure the Raiders won't lose him in free agency next offseason.
CB Rock Ya-Sin
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Cornerback Rock Ya-Sin isn't currently on the Raiders roster, but it would behoove Las Vegas to change that.
The 26-year-old was acquired in the trade that sent Yannick Ngakoue to the Indianapolis Colts last offseason. He performed well for the Raiders before being lost to a season-ending knee injury.
While the Raiders' 29th-ranked pass defense struggled as a unit, Ya-Sin was mostly solid. He finished with seven passes defended and an opposing passer rating of just 82.6 in coverage, according to Pro Football Reference.
Las Vegas has taken steps to reload its secondary this offseason. It has added the likes of safety Marcus Epps and cornerbacks Duke Shelley, David Long and Brandon Facyson.
The Raiders might also target a CB prospect like Illinois' Devon Witherspoon or Penn State's Joey Porter Jr. with the seventh overall pick. But a team can never have too much reliable cornerback depth, and Ya-Sin was one of their few dependable defensive backs last season.
Giving him a new free-agent contract should be on Las Vegas' to-do list.
*Cap and contract information via Spotrac.
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