Las Vegas Raiders Free Agency: Day 1 Of Legal Tampering Recap + Grades

It’s finally here—the offseason event Raider Nation has been waiting for. Not the annual NFL Draft, but the other big event that happens each offseason: Free agency. On Monday, the ‘legal tampering’ period officially kicked off, and the NFL world got to see the Las Vegas Raiders head coach-general manager duo of Pete Carroll and John Spytek in action for the first time.

And, in many ways, the two didn’t disappoint. Unless you were looking for a big-name signing, that is.

Many of Raider Nation went into the day expecting to hear news of players such as Dre Greenlaw, Byron Murphy and Camryn Bynum striking deals with the Raiders. Not only did any of that not happen, but Greenlaw added insult to injury by joining the AFC West as a member of the Denver Broncos.

Instead of spending big money on premium players, Sin City’s front office opted to shell out smaller deals to under-the-radar players who are plenty serviceable. In fact, the biggest contract Spytek gave out was a 2-year, $16 million deal to safety Jeremy Chinn.

Chinn was one-of-four players to earn a contract with the Raiders on Day 1 of 2025’s legal tampering period.

Las Vegas Raiders start legal tampering phase of free agency with four signings

Jeremy Chinn

Chinn was the first player to agree to terms with Las Vegas on Monday. A full-time starter for the Washington Commanders in 2024, the do-it-all safety logged one interception, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and two sacks. In the postseason, Chinn was able to secure another interception in addition to a separate pass breakup.

The 27-year-old is as versatile as they come. If his 200-plus snaps each out deep, in the box, and in the slot didn’t prove that, in addition to his 100-plus snaps lined up on the defensive line, his 60-plus grade via Pro Football Focus as a tackler, run-defender, pass-rusher, and in coverage sure will. Chinn was the only defensive back on Washington’s roster to achieve either of those feats.

Spytek secures a legitimate starting-caliber safety who’s capable of doing everything. For a bargain price, too.

Grade: A-

He’s back, Raiders fans…

Malcolm Koonce

Koonce returns to Las Vegas on a one-year, $12 million deal. Some label the 26-year-old’s contract as a ‘prove it’ deal, and, those who do are absolutely right. As things stand, Koonce is currently the 27th-highest paid edge rusher annually in the National Football League—it doesn’t get much more of a bargain than that.

2024 was a season Koonce would like to forget. Thanks to a knee injury in practice prior to the start of the NFL’s ’24 season, the Buffalo alum missed the entirety of the year. This injury was extra disappointing given the electric ’23 season he had, and the hopes to build from it.

In any event, the former third-rounder gets a chance to pick back up where he left off in 2023, where he recorded 52 pressures, eight sacks and three forced fumbles. If Koonce can return back to that form in 2025, a big pay-day awaits him.

Grade: A-

A new linebacker in Sin City

Lonnie Johnson Jr.

A second-round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft, Lonnie Johnson’s career hasn’t gone the way he had hoped thus far. Through 83 career contests, the 20-year-old has totaled four career interceptions and 15 pass deflections.

This past season, with the Carolina Panthers, Johnson took the field for a mere 13 defensive snaps. He did total 339 snaps on special teams, however, proving to be an asset on that phase of the game.

Johnson has spent time at both cornerback and safety at the NFL-level, and may compete for time on the field at both positions.

Grade: C

Elandon Roberts

What do you get when you combine a player who posted the third-highest grade against the run at his position in the entire NFL and a $3 million contract? You get, as the kids say, ‘a steal’.

Roberts had one heck of a ’24 campaign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, earning a 91.0 grade against the run; the third-highest among all linebackers. On 291 run-defense snaps, the 30-year-old was able to keep opposing ball-carriers behind schedule 24 times.

For perspective, Robert Spillane was the only player on the Raiders at any position to achieve this feat in 2024, totaling 34 stops on running down through his 426 snaps on such plays.

Grade: A+

Day 1 at large

Not everything went the way Spytek had hoped, unfortunately. Robert Spillane and Tre’von Moehrig, the two most-coveted free agents for the Raiders this offseason, both began a new chapter of their careers elsewhere.

Spillane joined the New England Patriots on a three-year, $37.5 million deal while Moehrig took a three-year, $51 million contract with the Carolina Panthers.

While these were big losses, neither of which the team fully recovered from, Chinn and Roberts both serve as reliable replacements at a fraction of the cost. From that lens, it’s hard to be upset about what the Raiders did in Day 1 of this year’s legal tampering period, even if the team did get a bit worse in full.

With the money saved going from Moehrig to Chinn and Spillane to Roberts, a high-profile player such as Jevon Hollard or, on the other side of the ball, Stefon Diggs is in play. If Las Vegas manages to scoop a player of this caliber up, they may be looking at having one of the best free agency periods across the entirety of the NFL.

But for now…

Grade: B+