Analyst Names Raiders as Free Agency Winners

The Las Vegas Raiders were one of the most aggressive teams in the National Football League during the first wave of free agency. The Raiders brought in players that will make their team better for next season and still have plenty left for future teams.

The pairing of head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek has shown so far that they can work together and follow the plan they came up with, to get the Raiders franchise ready for the 2025 season and beyond.

In free agency the Raiders lost key players early on in the process but their was no panic or bad signings by the new regime that we have seen in the past from former members of the Raiders organization. Instead they sat back and went after players when the time was right.

The biggest addition to the Raiders this offseason has been veteran quarterback Geno Smith. The Raiders traded for him and now he is back with his former head coach in Las Vegas.

ESPN NFL Analyst Mina Kimes put the Raiders in the top five teams that won free agency.

"I am going with the Las Vegas Raiders," said Kimes. "This might surprise you and some people because they were not terribly active. They did sign Malcolm Koonce, a young edge rusher who was injured last year, to a one-year $12 million deal. I thought that was very smart because in 2023, he was quite good. Bring in the versatile safety Jeremy Chinn, who I like as a pairing with Pete Carroll."

"But for me this is really about the quarterback position. Trading for Geno Smith, giving up only a 3rd rounder in the process is a huge win. You go from arguably the worst quarterback situation in the NFL last season. They were going between Gardner Minshew II and Aidan O'Connell to Geno Smith. Yes, he is 34 years old, and I know there is apprehension about the contract extension, but he gives you, I believe, an average level quarterback play. I think he is capable of more, and we saw that in Seattle. "

"That is a massive upgrade at not a particularly high cost, so for me this free agency period, and obviously they traded for him before that, is a huge win for the Raiders."