Veteran Free-Agent Contracts Raiders Must Consider Before Training Camp
What are the Las Vegas Raiders' goals for the 2023 season? It's a fair question to ask after Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler took steps to deconstruct and then reload the roster during the offseason.
While a few elite playmakers—like Davante Adams, Maxx Crosby and (hopefully) Josh Jacobs—remain, it was a spring of turnover in Las Vegas. The roster looks a lot different than the one that went 6-11 last year, but different doesn't necessarily mean better.
There's a real chance the Raiders aren't looking to compete this season and will instead use bridge players like quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and cornerback David Long Jr. to make it through the campaign while evaluating younger players and building for the future.
If that's the goal, then any veterans Las Vegas adds between now and training camp will have to fall in line with that plan. Scooping up a big name like DeAndre Hopkins or Jadeveon Clowney wouldn't make a lot of sense if the Raiders aren't looking to contend until at least 2024.
Las Vegas is also limited by a mere $3 million in cap space, meaning any addition would likely have to be accompanied by a cost-cutting move. None of this means the Raiders shouldn't consider picking up a veteran or two before camp, though, and below, we'll examine three free agents worth targeting.
RB Dalvin Cook
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Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook may seem like exactly the sort of marquee free agent the rebuilding Raiders should avoid. He'll turn 28 in August and has a projected market value of $8.7 million annually.
However, Las Vegas has to at least consider the prospect of adding him and rescinding Jacobs' franchise tag. Jacobs, the reigning rushing champion, is set to carry a $10.1 million cap hit under the tag, but that's assuming he suits up in 2023.
The 25-year-old appears to be extremely unhappy with his situation and could be a candidate to hold out through training camp—at least, that's what his cryptic social-media posts seem to suggest.
"Sometimes it's not about you," Jacobs tweeted on June 10. "We gotta do it for the ones after us."
According to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Raiders haven't closed the door on working out a long-term extension with Jacobs before the July 17 deadline. If talks stall and Las Vegas feels destined to lose him after this season, it could be worth exploring other running back alternatives.
And Cook could be a prime alternative. By rescinding Jacobs' tag and signing the 27-year-old, the Raiders could save millions off the 2023 cap, create room to sign other veterans and still have a capable back with which to evaluate the rest of the offense.
DL Matthew Ioannidis
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As the Raiders look to build for the future, they desperately need to solve a porous run defense that ranked 23rd in yards per attempt allowed last season.
The NFL is a passing league, of course, but Las Vegas took steps to reload its secondary earlier this offseason. Added were the likes of Long, Brandon Facyson, Duke Shelley and rookie Jakorian Bennett.
Though Las Vegas used a first-round pick on Tyree Wilson, he's expected to slot in as more of a rotational pass-rusher than an impact run defender. Aside from adding defensive tackle Byron Young in Round 3, the Raiders didn't do a lot to address their front-line run defense.
Matthew Ioannidis is a logical veteran for Las Vegas to target in late free agency. He's capable of playing both on the edge and in the interior, which would give defensive coordinator Patrick Graham some added versatility up front.
Ioannidis has also remained productive through his seven-year career, recording at least 31 tackles and a sack in four of his last five seasons—he missed all but three games in 2020 with a torn biceps.
At 29 years old, he is also still young enough to be a potential long-term piece of the Raiders defense. He could obviously help Las Vegas' run defense this season, but adding him wouldn't be strictly a win-now move.
CB Marcus Peters
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Adding 30-year-old cornerback Marcus Peters might not be an extreme long-term move, but the three-time Pro Bowler could likely contribute for at least the next couple of seasons.
That would help give Las Vegas time to evaluate young players like Bennett while providing a veteran presence in the locker room.
According to Bonsignore, signing Peters is a move the Raiders have been considering for some time:
"The Raiders have danced a little bit with Peters, the Oakland native and veteran cornerback. Peters was in Las Vegas to meet with the club last month, and between the Raiders' need at cornerback and Peters' track record of success in creating turnovers with 32 career interceptions, the fit feels natural."
As Bonsignore noted, Peters has a track record of generating turnovers. For a Raiders team that recorded only six interceptions in 2022, that's important. Also important is the fact that Las Vegas has already met with the player, meaning the line of communication is already open.
While it could make sense to evaluate the current secondary in training camp before adding a player like Peters, time might not be on Las Vegas' side. Peters is a known commodity, and some team is likely to sign him sooner than later.
*Cap and contract information via Spotrac.
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