Bargain Contracts Raiders Must Consider in 2022 NFL Free Agency

In the AFC West arms race, the Las Vegas Raiders are going to need every piece of artillery they can get.

With the Denver Broncos going all-in by adding quarterback Russell Wilson this offseason, the division is the rare one in which all four teams have legitimate playoff aspirations.

New general manager Dave Ziegler has already done a lot to make sure the Raiders are in the best possible position to succeed. He traded for Davante Adams, signed Chandler Jones and traded Yannick Ngakoue for Rock-Ya Sin.

The moves aren't likely to stop there, either. Most of the big-name free agents have been scooped up, but often it's the value contracts that are found later in the process that can pay the biggest dividends.

While most of the free agents still available have questions that have kept them from getting signed, they still bring upside if things work out.

S Kareem Jackson

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Tre'von Moehrig established himself as a building block of the Raiders secondary with a strong rookie campaign. But the safety position as a whole is far from settled.

Johnathan Abram has been a liability in coverage. What's worse is he hasn't shown signs of improvement—he's actually gotten worse. Teams routinely picked on him last season. He gave up a 79.2 completion percentage on 72 targets thrown his way.

New defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has talked about being more multiple in terms of the fronts and coverages his defense will run. That will require safeties who are able to not just play in the box but play deep zones as well.

At 34, Kareem Jackson would be a one-year stopgap, but he would give them a versatile defensive back who has played both corner and safety. Given his age and the fact that he's coming off a back injury, he should be available for next to nothing.

Proposed contract: One year, $3 million.

QB Andy Dalton

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With Marcus Mariota signing a two-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons, the Raiders' quarterback situation behind Derek Carr is far from settled.

They signed Garrett Gilbert, so there's a chance they are prepared to roll with him as the backup. They could also utilize a late draft pick to grab a developmental prospect, but they only have five draft picks as it stands.

With the margin for error thin in the division, the Raiders would be wise to protect their investment in a win-now roster by bringing in a veteran who can be trusted should Carr miss a week or two throughout the season.

Andy Dalton would make sense as an insurance policy. He's not going to light the league on fire, but he did have a 7-8 record as the starter in his past two stops in Dallas and Chicago.

He's good enough to keep things afloat in a spot start and isn't in a position to be asking for a huge contract.

Proposed contract: One year, $3 million.

C J.C. Tretter

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

The Raiders might not have had center as a need atop their free-agency list, but in J.C. Tretter they have an opportunity to upgrade the interior of their offensive line.

Andre James carried the second-highest grade on their woeful offensive line from PFF (64.2). There are certainly areas that are more pressing concerns. However, Tretter has earned at least a 72.0 from PFF's analysts in each of the past four seasons.

Typically, an offensive lineman who has been as durable and as consistent as Tretter would be costly on the open market. However, there hasn't been much money being thrown at centers this season.

The only ones who have been given multiyear contracts are Ted Karras with Cincinnati and Mason Cole in Pittsburgh. Both have outs that essentially make their pacts one-year deals worth $7 million and $5.6 million, respectively.

Bradley Bozeman was the latest starter to change sides. He only received a one-year $2.8 million contract to go from Baltimore to Carolina. Tretter is worth more than that, but it's unclear what kind of market he has.

Proposed contract: Two years, $8 million.

Advanced stats via Pro Football Reference unless otherwise noted.