Top Free Agents Raiders Must Prioritize in 2024 NFL Offseason

The Las Vegas Raiders are one of the league's mystery teams heading into the 2024 offseason. After firing head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler in the middle of the season, we don't even know who will be calling the shots.

Head coach Antonio Pierce is certainly making a case to be retained. The Raiders are 4-3 since he took over as interim head coach and just picked up a signature win over the Chiefs while playing a rookie quarterback in Aidan O'Connell who was a fourth-round pick.

Pierce has shown the ability to get players to buy-in to what he's selling. If he's retained, there will still be work to do for the general manager to build a team that can win more consistently.

One of the most important avenues to do that will be free agency where the Raiders have the potential to have $75.8 million in cap space, per Over the Cap.

Their cap potential should give them a competitive edge over a lot of teams in trying to sign free agents who will take this team to the next level. Here are three they should be looking to prioritize with their free agency dollars.

DT Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs

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KANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 25: Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones (95) reacts after a sack during the first half against the Las Vegas Raiders on December 25th, 2023 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by William Purnell/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

If the Raiders are looking for a way to close the gap between themselves and the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West then luring Chris Jones to Sin City is a great start.

The Raiders haven't had a real difference-maker on the interior in a long time. This year, Adam Butler leads their interior group with three sacks. Jerry Tillery (2) and Bilal Nichols (1.5) are the only others with more than one quarterback takedown.

Maxx Crosby is one of the best edge rushers in the league, but without a legitimate threat on the inside, it's going to be hard for the Raiders to fully maximize his skills.

That would change in an instant if the Raiders could convince Chris Jones to defect to the Raiders. The Chiefs and their star interior pass-rusher struggled to work through a holdout early this seaosn. They finally got the defensive tackle to come to work under a revised one-year contract that still has him hitting free agency this spring.

Once he got on the field, the 29-year-old was just as disruptive as ever, racking up 8.5 sacks and 11 tackles for a loss in 14 games this season.

The Raiders have the money to make a splashy signing. This is one that would kill two birds with one stone, weakening the Chiefs defense while making a huge addition to their own, making them an even more legitimate threat to the Chiefs in the division.

CB Jaylon Johnson, Chicago Bears

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CLEVELAND, OHIO - DECEMBER 17: Jaylon Johnson #33 of the Chicago Bears in action during the first half against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium on December 17, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)

The Raiders attempted to solve their cornerback issues in free agency last year, but they favored quantity over quality.

Dave Ziegler signed Brandon Facyzon, Marcus Peters, David Long and Duke Shelley short-term deals in hoping to find at least one starter. The strategy didn't really work. Peters was released during the season and David Long leads all the others in snaps with 133,

If the Raiders really want to find a starter in this cycle they'd be much better off actually throwing some real money at the position and signing one top option. Jaylon Johnson stands out as the best corner with real potential to sign elsewhere.

Johnson has a career-high four interceptions this season with 10 passes defended and a passer rating allowed of just 49.7.

Despite Johnson's career year, the Bears were willing to allow him to seek out a trade just before the deadline this season. No deal came to fruition, but it's an indication that the Bears might be happy to let him find a new team and get a compensatory pick for losing him in 2025.

That would open the door for the Raiders to get involved and find a real solution to a lingering problem for Vegas.

OL Michael Onwenu, New England Patriots

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PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - DECEMBER 7: Mike Onwenu #71 of the New England Patriots in action during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on December 7, 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

Raiders fans might roll their eyes at the thought of targeting another ex-Patriot given how reliant they were on them in the Josh McDaniels era, but it's important to remember that Jakobi Meyers was also a New England veteran when they signed him in the offseason. He's been a good addition.

Michael Onwenu would work too.

The Raiders offensive line has been a work in progress for years, but they are starting to really form a decent unit. Kolton Miller is a strong left tackle, Dylan Parham is a good left guard and Andre James is fine at center. The only real questions that remain are the right side.

Greg Van Roten and Jermaine Eluemunor have both worked on that side, but aren't guaranteed to be there next season. Van Roten is nearly 34 years old while Eluemunor is a free agent.

Thayer Munford could work out as the right tackle, but it would be best to add another veteran who is younger than Van Roten to solidify the unit.

Onwenu is perfect because he has film at both guard and tackle that shows he can do the job. The Patriots have relied on the 26-year-old to play multiple spots and he's really thrived at right tackle this season, giving up just two sacks on the season.

He could be the final piece of the puzzle for this offensive line.