Raiders' Team Needs to Fill in 2024 NFL Free Agency
The Las Vegas Raiders are entering what should be a very pivotal offseason. While their 2023 campaign didn't go according to plan—and resulted in the firing of Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler—it offered some momentum toward the end.
Las Vegas went 5-4 down the stretch, which was enough to earn interim head coach Antonio Pierce the full-time gig.
Now, the Raiders must build on what they recently accomplished, while proving that Pierce was the right hire. They have needs to fill, and they'll start addressing them when free agency begins on March 13.
The NFL recently announced that the salary cap will be a record $255.4 million, and this leaves the Raiders with $55.5 million in projected cap space.
While Las Vegas will inevitably look to fill a few holes in April's draft, it should have little trouble bolstering its depth chart in free agency first. Here, we'll examine three holes that the Raiders should look to fill with veteran talent.
Quarterback
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The Raiders need to find their quarterback of the future, and with Jimmy Garoppolo no longer viewed as the team's stopgap—he'll be released in March, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter—the path to do so is clear.
Aidan O'Connell showed promise as a rookie (83.9 passer rating) but didn't do enough to go into training camp as the unquestioned starter. At the very least, Las Vegas must add competition to the quarterback room.
Snagging one of the top 2024 QB prospects, like LSU's Jayden Daniels or Michigan's J.J. McCarthy, would make plenty of sense. However, the Raiders could find it difficult to even trade up for a top quarterback from No. 13 overall.
Drafting a top quarterback could be part of the plan, but with no guarantee that it'll happen, Las Vegas must add veteran insurance first. Fortunately, the free-agent is loaded with viable candidates.
Jacoby Brissett, Tyrod Taylor, Gardner Minshew and Joshua Dobbs are just a few of the capable quarterbacks who could push O'Connell in camp or start if needed. Las Vegas could also consider Baker Mayfield as a potential long-term option if he isn't retained by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Cornerback
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The defense showed a ton of growth during Pierce's stretch as the interim coach. After a slow start to the season, Las Vegas finished the year ranked ninth in points allowed and 15th in total defense.
The Raiders have a chance to turn a promising defense into an elite one this offseason. The free-agent class is deep with defensive playmakers who could help the Raiders do exactly that.
The class is particularly deep at cornerback, with young stars like L'Jarius Sneed and Jaylon Johnson headlining the group. Corners like Chidobe Awuzie, Stephon Gilmore, C.J. Henderson, Adoree Jackson', Kenny Moore II and Steven Nelson could also help boost Las Vegas' secondary.
It would also behoove the Raiders to re-sign cornerback Amik Robertson, who emerged as a defensive driving force in 2023.
"When Amik is on his game and he's rolling, he's one of our best ball hawks," Pierce said, per The Athletic's Tashan Reed. "He's in and out of the lineup, but he's always ready and dialed in mentally."
Fans should expect the Raiders to continue building the defense in the draft, but they should also take advantage of a terrific free-agent class and a favorable cap situation to make a team strength even stronger.
Edge-Rusher
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The Raiders did a solid job of getting after opposing quarterbacks in 2023, finishing the year with 46 sacks. Las Vegas also used a 2023 first-round pick on edge-rusher Tyree Wilson, which makes it less likely that it will target a pass-rusher early in April's draft.
However, it would still be wise to improve a pass-rushing rotation headlined by Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce—who led Las Vegas with 14.5 and eight sacks, respectively, last season.
Las Vegas should take advantage of a deep free-agent edge market for two reasons. For one, adding another capable sack artist would help make the Raiders defensive front one of the league's best. Secondly, a deep player pool is likely to yield some budget-friendly contracts on the back end.
Top impending free agents like Josh Allen, Brian Burns and Danielle Hunter will be heavily compensated. Their presence on the market, though, should prevent other pass-rushers—like Leonard Floyd, Yannick Ngakoue, Jadeveon Clowney, Bryce Huff, Chase Young and Josh Uche—from being overpaid.
Now is the perfect time for Las Vegas to dip into the free-agent edge pool. Doing so should boost the defense at a fair price while freeing up the Raiders' draft capital for other needs.
*Cap information via Spotrac.
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