PFR’s Raiders Offseason Outlook covered the franchise’s latest head coaching change, but the ensuing months brought Klint Kubiak an array of additions for his first Las Vegas roster. Two acquisitions hovered above the rest, with Tyler Linderbaum‘s monster center contract coming several weeks before the long-expected Fernando Mendoza draft investment. But a nullified transaction headlined this Raiders offseason.
All set to send Maxx Crosby to the Ravens for two first-round picks, the Raiders instead saw the All-Pro edge defender’s contract returned to their payroll (technically, it never left, but Vegas sure operated like it did in free agency). Baltimore’s controversial nixing of the blockbuster trade changed the Raiders’ offseason plan, and Crosby trade rumors have quieted. He now joins Mendoza’s first Raiders roster as the team again takes aim at an imposing AFC West.
Free agency additions:
Tyler Linderbaum, C. Three years, $81MM ($60MM guaranteed)
Quay Walker, ILB. Three years, $40MM ($28MM guaranteed)
Kwity Paye, OLB. Three years, $48MM ($25.74MM guaranteed)
Nakobe Dean, ILB. Three years, $36.03MM ($20MM guaranteed)
Jalen Nailor, WR. Three years, $35.03MM ($18MM guaranteed)
Kirk Cousins, QB. One year, $11.3MM ($11.3MM guaranteed)
Spencer Burford, G. One year, $3.26MM ($2.75MM guaranteed)
Connor Heyward, FB/TE. Two years, $4.5MM ($2MM guaranteed)
Matt Gay, K. One year, $1.6MM ($1.35MM guaranteed)
Dareke Young, WR. One year, $1.8MM ($800K guaranteed)
Benito Jones, DL. One year, $1.6MM ($630K guaranteed)
Thomas Booker, DL. One year, $3.67MM (RFA tender)
Jordan Meredith, OL. One year, $3.67MM (RFA tender)
Cameron McGrone, LB. One year, $1.22MM
Not much hesitation occurred when determining PFR’s No. 1 free agent this year. After the Colts transition-tagged Daniel Jones, Linderbaum became the clear choice. The four-year Ravens starting center may have outflanked Jones anyway, and his white-hot market brought interest from several teams. The Bears, Chargers, Commanders, Giants and Titans were in the mix. The Ravens submitted a market-topping offer, but after having more than a year to negotiate with the former first-round pick, Baltimore was not close to stopping him from testing the market.
As it turned out, even a proposal that matched Tyler Smith‘s guard-record deal would not be sufficient. A Raiders team that believed it had offloaded Maxx Crosby‘s $35.5MM-per-year accord won out. The four-year center starter accepted a staggering offer and committed to Las Vegas.
Although Linderbaum’s official guarantee at signing was $60MM — a number already in a different ballpark from Creed Humphrey‘s previous position record of $35MM — this lines up as a fully guaranteed deal. Linderbaum being on the Raiders’ roster by Day 3 of the 2027 league year moves the remaining $21MM from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee for 2028. Barring a Christian Wilkins-like about-face from the Raiders, they will pay Linderbaum all $81MM on this contract. They threw in a no-tag clause for 2029 to sweeten the proposal.
Linderbaum’s $27MM AAV is much closer to the top of the tackle market (Laremy Tunsil‘s $30.2MM-per-year Commanders extension, agreed to hours before the Linderbaum windfall) than Humphrey’s previous center-record accord. At $18MM per year, Humphrey had stood as the NFL’s highest-paid center since August 2024; before that, no center had even topped $15MM per annum. Linderbaum may be the league’s top center earner for a few years. Free agency worked wonders for the three-time Pro Bowler.
The Ravens exercised Kyle Hamilton‘s fifth-year option in 2025 but passed on Linderbaum’s. This is standard practice for first-round centers and most guards, as all O-linemen are grouped together under the fifth-year option and tag umbrellas. That made Linderbaum’s center option number $20.99MM, matching Trey Smith‘s guard franchise tag in 2025. Based on what happened the following March, that figure seems reasonable for Baltimore.
No center had been franchise-tagged since the Panthers cuffed Ryan Kalil in 2011, and a generally conservative Ravens franchise (more on that later) predictably balked. The 26-year-old blocker will give Mendoza an interior OL anchor once the rookie quarterback enters the lineup.
ESPN’s pass block win rate metric ranked Linderbaum fourth among all interior O-lineman last season; he ranked 13th in 2024. Pro Football Focus, conversely, has graded Linderbaum as a far superior run blocker. The Raiders saw O-line trouble restrict Ashton Jeanty last season; they took a big step toward addressing it hours into the legal tampering period. While Linderbaum does not solve all Vegas’ O-line issues, he is a top-three NFL center. That is about as good as you can hope for on the open market.
Just as Linderbaum’s $27MM-per-year megadeal surfaced during the window in which the Raiders believed they were offloading Crosby’s contract, so did the bulk of their free agent spending. Las Vegas re-signed Eric Stokes and Malcolm Koonce and handed eight-figure AAVs to Dean, Nailor, Paye and Walker on Day 1 of the tampering period. The Ravens did not nix the Crosby trade until well into Day 2, but the Raiders agreed to honor all commitments made when they thought their highest-paid player would be traded.
Crosby’s return certainly brought a rare complication, but the team held plenty of cap space anyway. And it did infuse a talent-starved roster with upgrades. Linebacker was a priority, as the March 9 Dean and Walker commitments revealed.
The Raiders tried the free agency route at linebacker in the not-so-distant past. Their 2020 FA period brought commitments from Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski. Neither partnership lasted long during an unsteady period. The team has gotten by on patchwork solutions since those agreements. Vegas cycled through LB options — from Denzel Perryman to Robert Spillane to Elandon Roberts to Devin White — while spending no more than $3.5MM per year on them. Homegrown ILB Divine Deablo signed with the Falcons last year, with Spillane leaving for New England. John Spytek and Co. will attempt higher-end fixes in 2026.
The Silver and Black capitalized on another fifth-year option loophole to lure Walker. Also grouping all linebackers together, the option formula annually leads to teams declining fifth-year guarantees for ILBs. White was the most recent off-ball LB whose option was exercised; that backfired on the Buccaneers. Since that 2022 decision, eight non-rush LBs (Isaiah Simmons, Kenneth Murray, Jordyn Brooks, Patrick Queen, Jamin Davis, Walker, Devin Lloyd and Jack Campbell) have seen theirs declined.
The Lions recently circled back to a Campbell extension, but the Packers were unable to do so with Walker. The 2022 first-rounder’s Raiders deal checks in outside the top 10 among ILB salaries, but his $28MM guarantee at signing ranks sixth at the position among non-rookie contracts.
Walker has produced three seasons with at least 118 tackles, doing so despite missing 10 games during his rookie deal. The career-long starter also has nine career sacks and 29 tackles for loss. PFF has never ranked a Walker season inside the top 60 among off-ball ‘backers, but the advanced metrics site — as it did with Alontae Taylor this year — does not always align with front offices’ views on players.
While I may have underrated Walker’s earning potential slightly when ranking him 27th in the PFR top 50, the Dean pact was more surprising. The Raiders are reuniting the former Georgia teammates, both of whom played lead roles on the Bulldogs’ dominant 2021 national championship-winning team, but the Dean part of this equation comes with significant risk. Since 2023, the former third-round Eagles draftee has missed 24 games due to injury (counting playoff contests).
Foot trouble kept Dean off the field for most of the 2023 season, and he suffered a patellar tendon tear in the 2024 wild-card round, delaying his 2025 debut. A nice market still formed here, with the Raiders guaranteeing $8.5MM of Dean’s $11.5MM 2027 base salary. The remaining $3MM locks in on Day 3 of the 2027 league year.
Dean impressed upon return from injury last season, working as an effective blitzer (career-high four sacks) and a consistent backfield presence (seven TFLs). Forcing two fumbles as well, Dean — who made 128 tackles in the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX-winning season — restored his earning power by coming back from the patellar tendon tear and did not need to accept a “prove it” deal.
Linderbaum’s contract will be more important from a big-picture standpoint, but Paye’s Raiders place is more interesting. Las Vegas agreed to terms with the five-year Colts defensive end when Crosby was on the way out. A day later, the Raiders suddenly had Crosby, Paye, Koonce and Tyree Wilson contracted. The team traded Wilson during the draft, but Paye will be a core player — especially if the Raiders move to re-trade Crosby by this year’s deadline.
Coming off 2025 statistical regression in Lou Anarumo‘s scheme, Paye carried a nice overall profile entering free agency. The Michigan alum (now under the employ of a front office run by two ex-Wolverines) combined for 16.5 sacks from 2023-24. Even in an apparent down 2025, Paye tallied 23 pressures; his 2025 pressure count topped where he finished in 2023 (17), ’24 (22) and ’22 (20) in that category. More high-floor run-game deterrent — Paye ranked 10th in run stop win rate in 2025; Crosby was first — than twitchy pass rusher, the five-year Colt profiles as a solid No. 2 EDGE opposite the Raiders’ defensive anchor.
Nailor commanded nearly $20MM at signing from a team in dire need of receiving help, as the Raiders traded Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers at consecutive deadlines. Although their 2025 draft brought in pieces Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton, Josh McDaniels-era draftee Tre Tucker led the team in receiving last year. Nailor will start alongside Tucker, and a third pre-deadline trade involving a Vegas WR starter should be monitored (as Tucker is unsigned beyond 2026).
A 5-11 slot-based weapon, Nailor posted impressive yards-per-catch figures (14.8, 15.3) over the past two seasons. The Justin Jefferson/Jordan Addison auxiliary piece combined for 10 touchdown grabs in those seasons. Minnesota’s WR and TE spending blueprint left little room for Nailor, who drew late buzz before free agency. The Raiders will likely need to find a No. 1-caliber wideout for Mendoza in 2027 or ’28 (at the latest) — the team’s interest in Alec Pierce did not pry the deep threat (PFR’s No. 2-ranked FA) from Indianapolis — but they approved a Meyers-level contract for a complementary option first.
Jackson Powers-Johnson will likely join Linderbaum as an interior starter; Burford appears the early favorite to round out that trio. At most, Burford profiles as a flier. Missing a key block on Chris Jones in overtime of Super Bowl LVIII — as injured starter (and ex-Oakland Raider) Jon Feliciano pointed out on Twitter at the time — Burford was tried at swing tackle before returning to guard in San Francisco. PFF ranked the former fourth-rounder 52nd among qualified guards last season, though as our Nikhil Mehta pointed out, the advanced metrics site ranked him as the least efficient pass-blocking guard with at least 250 snaps.
As the Falcons made their long-expected Cousins cut, a rumor quickly connected the Raiders to the aging passer. Kubiak worked with Cousins in Minnesota from 2019-21 — as QBs coach and then OC — and Las Vegas will shift from the norm by bringing in a bridge arm for a No. 1 overall pick.
Cam Ward (2025), Caleb Williams (2024), Bryce Young (2023), Trevor Lawrence (2021), Joe Burrow (2020), Kyler Murray (2019), Jameis Winston (2015), Andrew Luck (2012) and Cam Newton (2011) all started in Week 1 as No. 1 overall picks in the rookie-scale contract era. Some precedent for the Raiders’ expected plan exists, though, as Baker Mayfield (2018) and Jared Goff (2016) opened their careers on the bench. While Mayfield received his first Browns start in Week 4, the then-Jeff Fisher-coached Rams held Goff out of action until Week 11.
The pre-rookie-scale era brought examples of No. 1 overall picks sitting, as Eli Manning (2004), Alex Smith (’05) and JaMarcus Russell (’07) were not starters to open their careers. But the Raiders, who have made Cousins their starter entering training camp, would buck a recent trend by parking Mendoza. Tyrod Taylor stood in front of Mayfield, while a pre-Minneapolis Miracle Case Keenum was Goff’s gatekeeper. Cousins is far more accomplished than both, bringing some intrigue as Mendoza readies for action.
Most viewed Cousins as unlikely to be a Falcon in 2025, but then-GM Terry Fontenot stuck to his guns and carried an albatross QB2 salary on the payroll (in a related matter, Fontenot was fired at season’s end). Cousins, 38 next month, burned the Falcons on a four-year, $180MM contract ($100MM guaranteed). Atlanta took on $35MM in dead money by designating Cousins a post-June 1 cut. The team did need its expensive backup late last season, though, as Michael Penix Jr. sustained a midseason ACL tear.
Cousins made eight starts and went 5-3, though he was not exactly offering Washington- or Minnesota-era form. Cousins averaged a career-low 6.4 yards per attempt, and his 61.7% completion rate was his worst since his starter years began. The shrewd contract negotiator still found a market.
The Raiders structured Cousins’ contract to designate him a post-June 1 cut next year, as an untenable $80MM would become guaranteed if Cousins is on Vegas’ roster by Day 5 of the 2027 league year (the QB will, however, receive his $10MM fully guaranteed roster bonus on Day 3 of the ’27 league year). The former Mike Shanahan fourth-round pick — who was coached by a Shanahan or a Kubiak in seven prior seasons, leading to interest in the Klint reunion — has 167 starts on his resume. Barring an unexpected development, a few more are likely.
Re-signings:
Eric Stokes, CB. Three years, $30MM ($20MM guaranteed)
Malcolm Koonce, OLB. One year, $11.01MM ($10.5MM guaranteed)
Ian Thomas, TE. One year, $1.62MM ($613K guaranteed)
Stokes’ 2025 Raiders “prove it” deal paid off; the former first-round pick scored a solid third contract ahead of his age-27 season. The injury-prone ex-Packers draftee started a career-high 16 games, providing experience for a Pete Carroll-led cornerback cadre largely devoid of it, and his 2026 guarantee more than quadruples his 2025 figure. PFF ranked Stokes 20th among qualified corners last season. Stokes’ 77.7 passer rating-against and 5.5 yards per target figures were by far his best since his rookie year.
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The Raiders are going big on the early-2020s Georgia defense. As far as recent college defenses go, that may be the one to bet on. Stokes was not part of either Bulldogs national championship effort, but he teamed with Dean and Walker as regulars on the SEC power’s 2020 defense. The Raiders made a few CB investments this offseason, but Stokes’ contract should ensure he remains a starter.
This marks Koonce’s second straight one-year Raiders deal; the two pacts are nearly identical. Playing for just more than $11MM last year as well, Koonce did secure slightly more guaranteed ($10.5MM) in 2026. He was re-signed during the Crosby-Ravens trade window, so it is worth wondering if the Raiders would have signed both Koonce and Paye had they known Crosby would return to their roster.
The former third-round pick, who missed all of 2024 due to injury, played 17 games last season and notched 4.5 sacks on 13 QB hits. With Crosby back, Koonce projects as the team’s top rotational rusher off the bench. A starting role — 11 of Koonce’s 14 career starts came in 2023 — would await if the Raiders re-trade Crosby.
Notable losses:
Jamal Adams, LB/S
Alex Bachman, WR
Jacob Bobenmoyer, LS
Alex Cappa, G (released)
Daniel Carlson, K
Jamin Davis, ILB (released)
Terrell Edmunds, S
Stone Forsythe, T
Darnay Holmes, CB
Lonnie Johnson Jr., DB
Kyu Blu Kelly, CB
Tyler Lockett, WR
Brodric Martin, DL (waived/injured)
Raheem Mostert, RB
Dylan Parham, G
Kenny Pickett, QB
Jon Rhattigan, ILB
Elandon Roberts, ILB
Charles Snowden, OLB (waived)
Devin White, ILB
Zamir White, RB
Another round of heavy roster turnover ensued for a team now on its head coach of the 2020s. A host of 2025 stopgap options are gone, while Parham — a four-year starter — will follow ex-first-string mates Deablo, Tre’von Moehrig, Robert Spillane and Nate Hobbs out the door.
The Jets signed Parham to a two-year, $16MM deal. A Raiders team flush with cap space, particularly during the window when it looked like Crosby was Baltimore-bound, could have afforded to re-sign him. But they passed on the McDaniels-era draftee and opted to stage a competition between lower-cost players.
Parham started 63 games in four seasons and, despite PFF ranking Vegas’ line as the NFL’s worst last season, brought a bright spot during a dreadful Raiders campaign. The former third-round pick graded in the top 20 in pass block win rate last year (19th) and in 2024 (14th). PFF graded Parham 17th among guards two seasons ago and 37th last year.
An ex-Tom Brady Buccaneers teammate, Cappa signed a two-year, $11MM deal in 2025. He has now been cut twice in two years, with this following his Bengals release. The veteran guard spent more time at center, oddly, last season (347 snaps). Those were his first center snaps as a pro.
White started 17 games last season and made 174 tackles (11 for loss) to go with 2.5 sacks. PFF regards White with a special level of disdain, and last year was no different. The advanced metrics site ranked him 82nd among 88 qualified off-ball LBs. White has fallen far. Since seeing the Bucs exercise his fifth-year option in 2022, White was an Eagles cut before he played a down (on a $3.5MM guarantee) and made stops with the Texans and Raiders on vet-minimum deals since. He joined the Lions last week.
Cast off by a struggling Titans team, Lockett caught on with Carroll once again. He pitched in following the Raiders’ Meyers trade but is now part of a crowded WR market of 30-somethings — a list including Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, Tyreek Hill and perhaps recent Georgia Tech hire DeAndre Hopkins.
The 221 receiving yards accumulated as a Raider may end up being the 33-year-old’s last in the NFL. If so, the longtime Seahawk will wrap his career with 8,885 receiving yards and 63 touchdown catches. Adams’ Carroll reunion included a position change, being moved from safety to linebacker, and four starts. Sticking with his linebacker shift, the box defender joined the Vikings at the start of training camp.
A Raider since the first year of the Jon Gruden 2.0 experiment, Carlson earned first- and second-team All-Pro honors (2022, 2021). The 31-year-old kicker, who went 22-for-27 last season, played out a four-year, $18.4MM extension — one authorized during the period between Gruden’s resignation and McDaniels’ arrival. He does not have a team for the 2026 season yet.
Draft:
Round 1, No. 1: Fernando Mendoza (QB, Indiana)
Round 2, No. 38 (from Commanders via Texans): Treydan Stukes (S, Arizona) (signed)
Round 3, No. 67: Keyron Crawford (EDGE, Auburn) (signed)
Round 3, No. 91 (from Bills via Texans): Trey Zuhn (G, Texas A&M) (signed)
Round 4, No. 101 (from Titans via Bills): Jermod McCoy (CB, Tennessee)
Round 4, No. 122 (from Eagles via Falcons): Mike Washington (RB, Arkansas) (signed)
Round 5, No. 150 (from Saints): Dalton Johnson (S, Arizona) (signed)
Round 5, No. 175: Hezekiah Masses (CB, Cal) (signed)
Round 6, No. 195 (from Buccaneers): Malik Benson (WR, Oregon) (signed)
Round 7, No. 229 (from Buccaneers): Brandon Cleveland (DT, NC State)
No momentum for an NFL lottery has come. While the Raiders faced scrutiny for their late-season tactics — which included Maxx Crosby and Brock Bowers IR moves before a “pivotal” Week 17 Giants matchup — teams still reap rewards for such efforts. The Raiders’ reward was Mendoza, the latest QB to make a climb after not being viewed as a first-round lock entering his final college season.
All the Florida native did was lift Indiana to an unbeaten national championship-winning season, with a fourth-down rushing score sealing the Hoosiers’ ascent from decades-long mediocrity to a football powerhouse. The Cal transfer led FBS passers with 41 touchdown tosses, throwing only six interceptions and averaging a Big Ten-best 9.3 yards per attempt. Snazzier numbers have certainly emerged from the college ranks, but as far as transformative seasons go, Mendoza’s Indiana one-off is right up there.
While interest emerged in the Raiders’ No. 1 choice, little drama was present leading up to it. Mendoza was learning Kubiak’s offense weeks before Las Vegas selected him, and although Cousins signed during that early developmental period, it was certainly telling the QB was already training in his pro team’s attack well before the draft.
Cousins’ arrival will help Mendoza transition, as his Cal work did not approach his Indiana contributions. In seven more attempts as the Golden Bears’ triggerman in 2024, Mendoza threw only 16 TD passes. While some skepticism about Mendoza’s ceiling emerged, NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah ranked him as the draft’s top overall prospect. The 22-year-old passer sliced through Alabama and Oregon en route to the CFP title game, throwing eight TD passes compared to just five incompletions.
We have seen transfer success stories at QB in recent years. Burrow, Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr. used college relocations to transform their draft stocks. Mendoza’s dominant season reminds of Burrow’s, albeit without the record-setting numbers while throwing to Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase. Holding the No. 1 pick, the Raiders had plenty of time to evaluate Mendoza’s fit in Kubiak’s offense. The Cousins signing appears telling about the coaching staff’s view of the rookie’s readiness.
No QB chosen first overall has debuted beyond November of his rookie year since the Bengals parked Carson Palmer throughout the 2003 season (behind Jon Kitna). Palmer was on a six-year rookie deal; those kind of clocks no longer exist in the NFL. Mendoza will be starting at some point this season.
The Raiders had not drafted a first-round QB since Russell in 2007, though they did get plenty of mileage from 2014 second-rounder Derek Carr. Spytek’s previous first-round QB involvement came when the Browns, for whom he served as director of college scouting, went with ex-MLB prospect Brandon Weeden in 2012. Later hired in Denver, Spytek was not present for the Broncos’ Paxton Lynch miss. His Tampa tenure also did not overlap with the Buccaneers’ Jameis Winston move. While Weeden busted early in Spytek’s career, Mendoza has the most accomplished QB in NFL history as a central resource. Brady’s presence will certainly help the rookie’s NFL assimilation.
Rather than the Raiders holding No. 14 overall from the Crosby trade agreement (more below), they held No. 36 due to draft tiebreakers. Vegas then moved down two spots and tabbed Stukes to contribute in a young secondary. Playing both safety and corner during a six-year college career, Stukes offers Vegas versatility. The Raiders saw one of their safety starters — Isaiah Pola-Mao — rank as the second-worst qualified option at that position (per PFF) last season.
Seeing more than 900 career snaps as a boundary corner and 900-plus in the slot at Arizona, Stukes played more corner than safety with the Wildcats. He did log plenty of time at safety before wowing with a 4.33-second 40 time at the Combine. The Raiders have Taron Johnson set to man the slot — for 2026, at least — but Stukes could have a path to seeing work there or at safety alongside Jeremy Chinn as a rookie.
The Raiders seemingly have their top three edge rushers set — Crosby, Paye, Koonce. That will allow Crawford to be brought along slowly. Though, if the Raiders field an unrefusable offer for Crosby before the deadline, Crawford’s trajectory likely shifts. An Arkansas State transfer, Crawford finished with five sacks and 9.5 TFLs in his final Auburn season. Crosby’s future may lie elsewhere beyond 2026, and with Koonce also not contracted for the ’27 season, Crawford may be groomed for a starting role by next season.
Primarily a left tackle at Texas A&M, Zuhn was viewed as an interior lineman coming into the NFL. With Linderbaum entrenched at center, Zuhn — a four-year Aggies starter — is competing with Burford and 2025 third-rounder Caleb Rogers for the Raiders’ left guard job.
McCoy missed his final college season due to a winter 2025 ACL tear, but he was viewed as one of this class’ most talented corners. The Raiders moved up one spot to start Day 3 by selecting him. Although several teams removed McCoy from their draft boards due to a degenerative knee condition, this is the kind of flier a team in the Raiders’ position should take.
The 19th-ranked player on Jeremiah’s big board, McCoy will have a path to playing time. With he and Masses factoring into Vegas’ cornerback equation, the team have some hopeful building blocks alongside Stokes. The two rookies are competing with 2025 third-rounder Darien Porter (10 rookie-year starts) for the CB job opposite Stokes.
Trades:
Obtained CB Taron Johnson, No. 228 from Bills for No. 182
Traded QB Geno Smith, No. 228 to Jets for No. 208
Dealt OLB Tyree Wilson, No. 219 to Saints for No. 150
Be it shaky weaponry, an undermanned (and poorly coached) offensive line or eroding skills on his own part, Smith submitted an awful season after the Raiders dealt a third-round pick for him. Signing a two-year, $75MM extension weeks after reuniting with Carroll, Smith led the NFL with 17 interceptions and went 2-13 as a starter. With the Raiders securing Mendoza draft real estate, they were prepared to cut Smith. But the Jets gave them a way to shed part of the QB’s contract while picking up a late-round asset.
The Jets were part of two QB swaps in which the team trading the passer ate a chunk of cash to facilitate a move. New York dealt Justin Fields to Kansas City days after reacquiring Smith. The Raiders gave Smith $58.5MM guaranteed at signing and for a fourth straight year are stuck with dead money from their starting quarterback.
After respectively cutting Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo and Gardner Minshew during the 2023, ’24 and ’25 offseasons, the Raiders traded Smith but only saw the Jets pick up $3.3MM of his guarantee. Vegas is on the hook for $16.2MM in dead money.
As the Raiders shift to a sixth QB1 regular in five years (counting the Garoppolo-Aidan O’Connell 2023 split), Smith returns to a rebuilding Jets team 10 years after last playing for them. The 2013 Jets second-round pick is positioned to be a stopgap starter while Gang Green — and their three 2027 first-round picks — studies next year’s QB crop for a better solution.
Before sending Smith back to New York, the Raiders added Johnson — a veteran slot corner the Bills were prepared to cut. The Raiders instead absorbed the final year of Johnson’s three-year, $30.75MM deal and acquired the pick they’d soon send to the Jets for Smith. Johnson, 30, earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2023 but is coming off a down year. The Bills are also changing defensive schemes, after firing Sean McDermott, and the Raiders will employ a veteran bridge option in the slot.
Buffalo handed Johnson two extensions, and he held down the AFC East power’s slot post for most of his eight-year tenure. The second of Johnson’s extensions (in March 2024) raised the slow-moving bar for slot CBs, and the former fourth-round pick made it known this offseason he was seeking an adjustment to that deal. Only $1.2MM of Johnson’s $8.1MM 2026 base salary is currently guaranteed; the rest will lock in just before Week 1.
Johnson played at least 74% of the Bills’ defensive snaps each season from 2020-25. As Connor Byrne’s Bills Offseason Outlook outlined, Johnson missed nine games due to injury over the past two seasons. The former slot stalwart will look to bounce back in 2026 and perhaps secure one more notable contract — be it from the Raiders or another team — before his career wraps.
The Raiders did plenty of work on the 2023 quarterback class, but a draft-night breakdown from then-NBC mainstay Peter King determined that to be a smokescreen. Vegas wanted Wilson, but that was two regimes ago. The McDaniels-Dave Ziegler pair missed on the Texas Tech product. After Tom Telesco‘s year in charge, Spytek rostered the former No. 7 overall pick for a season. The Saints made an offer, after failing to acquire Kayvon Thibodeaux from the Giants, and the Raiders moved on.
Not coming especially close to justifying his draft slot, Wilson was among the Raiders’ string of disappointing edge rushers opposite Crosby. Unlike when the team added Paye and re-signed Koonce, the Raiders had a key Crosby update that affected their EDGE corps. With Crosby back in the fold and the team using a Day 2 pick on Keyron Crawford, a Day 3 pick swap emerged.
Wilson, who made just seven starts in three seasons, did have his most productive season in 2025 — 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, eight TFLs. He will attempt to impress ahead of a 2027 free agency bid; the Saints declined his fifth-year option following the draft.
Other:
Agreed to trade OLB Maxx Crosby to Ravens for 2026, 2027 first-round picks; Baltimore nixed deal
Hired Nick Holz as offensive pass-game coordinator, Mike Sullivan as QBs coach
QB Aidan O’Connell mentioned in trade rumors
Met with free agent RB Najee Harris
Tom Brady explored comeback as player/owner
Promoted Ben Chester to pro scouting director; senior director of player personnel JoJo Wooden joined Ravens
Egon Durban to own 40% of team after stake increase
Signed 17 undrafted free agents
Perhaps the most notable “Other” item since we relaunched our Offseason in Review series years ago, the Ravens’ decision to fail Crosby on a physical generated tremendous scrutiny. The sides agreed to the swap March 6, but the physical was not scheduled until March 10 — a day into the legal tampering period. Both teams appeared to be proceeding like the trade was a go. The Ravens did not approach the Linderbaum price point, and they let Isaiah Likely defect to the Giants, Dre’Mont Jones to the Patriots and Charlie Kolar to the Chargers.
Inserting a Larry David “having said that” early in this breakdown, the conspiracy theory of the Ravens belatedly preferring Door B (Trey Hendrickson and two first-rounders) to Door A (Crosby and none) is worth examining.
As our Ely Allen pointed out when the Crosby trade news broke, the Ravens had never traded a future first-round pick for a veteran in their 30-year history. Dealing two for one player — one turning 29 this summer and coming off injury, at that — represented a massive swing for a conservative franchise. Did the Ravens get cold feet or are there genuine long-term concerns here? Are both things true?
Crosby’s meniscus injury required surgery, and his return timeline was seemingly well known by the interested teams. The Ravens’ party line — one a terse Raiders statement announcing the failed trade certainly seemed to disagree with — hinges on Crosby’s knee being a long-term concern rather than something that will affect him this season. Like Myles Garrett, Crosby — who did quietly request a trade, keeping the information private to help maximize the Raiders’ return for him — sought a move to a winning team.
In edge rusher trades, most come from contract squabbles. That was the case for Khalil Mack when the Raiders moved on in summer 2018, but Crosby — who quickly overtook Clelin Ferrell as Mack’s true replacement — was believed to be willing to play on his $35.5MM-per-year deal. That contract includes fully guaranteed base salaries in 2026 ($30MM) and 2027 ($29MM). That is nearly identical to Hendrickson’s at-signing guarantee ($60MM), which covers the ’26 and ’27 seasons.
Considerable skepticism emerged regarding Ravens GM Eric DeCosta‘s claim the Ravens would have signed Hendrickson and traded for Crosby. Many have wondered if the Ravens determining they could land Hendrickson opened an escape hatch via the Crosby physical ahead of the 2026 league year. Regardless, Crosby is a Raider once again as the 31-year-old Hendrickson trekked from Cincinnati to Baltimore.
The Ravens have an extensive history of letting edge rushers leave rather than shelling out big dollars at the position. Raider officials also indicated they were transparent about Crosby’s knee rehab requiring months, not weeks, but the strange unraveling of this agreement re-routed the All-Pro EDGE to Vegas.
Crosby was back in the Raiders’ facility the next morning, and he reaffirmed his commitment to the team. Kubiak and Spytek reached out to Crosby shortly after the trade fell through, and Mark Davis then indicated the Raiders never wanted to move on in the first place.
The Cowboys and Bears were among the losing bidders for Crosby, while the Jaguars also tried to enter the fray (Jacksonville’s lack of a 2026 first-round pick made a trade package difficult to assemble). The Patriots were also mentioned in connection with a second trade, though this was before their second-round Gabe Jacas pick. While Dallas has not ruled out revisiting a pursuit, the Cowboys’ team doctor consulting with the Ravens on their Crosby physical could provide a stumbling block in a potential second trade. Because of the Ravens’ decision, the Raiders are highly unlikely to fetch two first-rounders again.
Crosby let his frustrations with the Raiders — especially after he suspected a tanking-based motivation for his late-season shutdown — be known before the trade agreement, but him being back onboard would be a boon for the franchise. Still, the prospect of the team revisiting a deal — possibly by the deadline after teams see a healthy Crosby reemerge — would make sense given its competitive timeline in a loaded AFC West.
The Bengals considered trading No. 10 overall for Crosby. If the Raiders can land a 2027 pick in that range plus another draft asset, a move to find a potential lower-cost cornerstone for the Mendoza era would make sense. Right now, Vegas has a deep OLB corps due to the trade breaking down.
The Raiders did not place Crosby on their active/PUP list to start camp, and he has been firmly on track to be ready well before Week 1. Four seasons remain on Crosby’s contract, one carrying little in terms of signing bonus defrayment. The Raiders would not eat any dead money if they traded Crosby in 2027, and they would be tagged with barely $5MM (from bonus proration) if they moved on this year.
Shifting to the ownership front, Mark Davis does not have any children. Owners voted on a succession plan for the franchise this offseason. Durban already held a 15% stake in the team after he previously bought an additional 7.5% earlier this offseason. After the more significant stake increase, the Silver Lake co-CEO would have the first chance to buy the controlling share if Mark Davis were to sell (which he has no intention of doing presently). As a legacy owner, Al Davis‘ son is only required to hold a 20% stake to maintain his controlling interest. He owns roughly 30% of the Raiders now.
Top 10 cap charges for 2026:
Maxx Crosby, OLB: $35.79MM
Kolton Miller, LT: $22.54MM
Tyler Linderbaum, C: $14MM
Malcolm Koonce, OLB: $11MM
Quay Walker, ILB: $9.67MM
Jeremy Chinn, S: $9.56MM
Kwity Paye, OLB: $9.42MM
Taron Johnson, CB: $8.67MM
Ashton Jeanty, RB: $8.16MM
Jalen Nailor, WR: $8MM
It will be interesting to see if Crosby’s recommitment will hold if the Raiders (one playoff berth over the past decade) struggle again this season. With the Broncos and Chargers each rebuilt under proven HCs and the Chiefs still holding the Andy Reid–Patrick Mahomes infrastructure, the Raiders escaping last place in the AFC West looks like a stretch this season. The team did add Linderbaum to aid Mendoza and Jeanty while bolstering a defense that was sneakily not terrible (17th in EPA per play) last season, but this turnaround effort will be a multiyear project.
While Bowers is healthy again, Las Vegas looks to need more receiving help for Mendoza come 2027. Whether the Raiders agree to trade Crosby again will be a storyline to closely follow, but this roster needs upgrades at other positions after the season to make strides toward contention. Perhaps more significantly given this organization’s instability, will Kubiak’s Seahawks year — after one-and-done OC stints with the Vikings and Saints — finally set the Raiders up with a long-term leader?