The offseason will bring about plenty of questions for the Las Vegas Raiders.
With uncertainty almost everywhere in the lineup, the Raiders go into the spring with very little in terms of core pieces. Sure, Maxx Crosby is still playing great and the draft gave the Raiders some intriguing pieces, but most positions will either be vacant or in desperate need of an upgrade for 2025.
Of course, the Raiders have the opportunity to make life much easier for themselves. With the second-most available cap space this offseason, the Raiders are in position to secure multiple key free agents to shore up their roster. While the team’s decision on head coach Antonio Pierce and his staff will affect how the team operates, some pending free agents are still worth keeping around.
Here are three players who the Raiders should consider bringing back for 2025 and potentially longer:
Tre’Von Moehrig, S
Out of all of the Raiders’ free agents, Moehrig stands out as the best and, consequentially, the most expensive.
A second-round pick of the Raiders in 2021, Moehrig has emerged over the past couple seasons as a do-everything player from the safety position. This season, in particular, has seen him break out in that role and stabilize an injury-riddled secondary. So far, Moehrig has already recorded career highs in tackles (84), tackles for loss (four) and pass deflections (nine). Keeping a budding star like Moehrig around who fills a number of roles for the Raiders should be a serious priority for general manager Tom Telesco, and money certainly is not a problem at the moment when it comes to a new contract. With the Raiders needing help at almost all levels of the defense, Moehrig re-signing would lock down at least one safety spot and guarantee the Raiders have a leader on what will likely be a new-look secondary.
Adam Butler, DT
When Butler re-signed with the Raiders in March, he could not have anticipated the role that he would be forced into.
One of the more underrated defensive linemen in the league, Butler has never put up the gaudiest of statistics, but his style of play is effective and stable. Mostly used as a rotational piece with the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins before, 2024 marked the first year Butler has had to step up in a starting role. With injuries to the likes of Christian Wilkins taking hold, Butler has 12 starts just this season, which is as many as he has seen in his entire four-year tenure with New England. Even more impressive is how Butler has managed to hold down his spot with his versatile play, already reaching a career-high 51 tackles while managing two and a half sacks, seven quarterback hits and six tackles for loss. He has provided the internal pressure element of the defense that the Raiders signed Wilkins for. While Butler will be 31 before training camp begins, the need for defensive leadership beyond Crosby should give Butler a solid chance to return.
K’Lavon Chaisson, DE
When Malcolm Koonce went down with a season-ending injury, many analysts became concerned about who was going to provide pressure outside of Crosby.
While that question went unanswered for a large portion of the year, Chaisson has been one of the players who has stepped up to the plate recently. A first-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020, Chaisson signed with the Raiders’ practice squad this year as a player struggling to find his footing in the NFL. As was the case with Butler, however, injuries pushed Chaisson into an elevated role. With his future in the league arguably on the line, Chaisson delivered. He has earned the trust of Pierce and the defensive staff, appearing in 11 games and even getting two starts. Chaisson has already hit a career-high three sacks, tied his career-high four tackles for loss, and even has an interception on the year. Though Koonce’s injury will likely not hinder his market value too severely, the Raiders now have an option to replace him if they get sticker shock from his asking price.
