The Las Vegas Raiders have the fifth-most cap space across the NFL, though they may hold on to most of their $34.1 million through the year.
Why?
The previous regime, led by general manager Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels, walked in the door and gave out in-house extensions, signing Maxx Crosby, Derek Carr, Hunter Renfrow, and Darren Waller to new deals. Crosby is the only player of that aforementioned group still on the roster.
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While one can argue that the front office justifiably handed out those extensions to maintain the core of a playoff team, you could also see why general manager Tom Telesco would want to take it slow with a squad coming off an 8-9 season (5-4 under head coach Antonio Pierce).
The Raiders have several players within its ascending defense that may be candidates for an extension, but Telesco should weigh a few factors before he opens up the checkbook.
Raiders will need to redo contracts for multiple key players in 2025
As of right now, only seven Raiders have guaranteed money in their contracts beyond the 2024 season. Among those seven, three of them have guarantees that amount to less than $1.7 million next year, and that small group doesn’t include Maxx Crosby, Davante Adams or Kolton Miller.
Don’t be alarmed about a full-scale rebuild, but one way or another, Crosby, Adams and Miller will get new deals within the next year. Players of their caliber do not touch the field without the security of guaranteed money.
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Christian Wilkins and Andre James are the only established starters on the roster with contract guarantees in 2025.
If general manager Tom Telesco plans to keep his key players financially satisfied beyond the upcoming season, he must be careful about his spending habits this year, which may be partially why the team took a conservative approach after signing Wilkins and Gardner Minshew in free agency.
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Keeping an eye on the 2025 quarterback market
Let’s remember that the Raiders do not have a surefire starter at quarterback and missed out on the top prospects in the 2024 draft.
General manager Tom Telesco may have to be aggressive in his pursuit of a starting quarterback if Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew struggle under center or fail to do enough to prove themselves as franchise players.
If the Raiders are not in a position to draft a premier quarterback prospect, Telesco could explore the free-agent market, which may come at a high cost.
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Unless the Dallas Cowboys sign Dak Prescott to an extension in the coming weeks, his name will be mentioned among the top impending 2025 free agents.
Nonetheless, Geno Smith could be on the move if he’s not a good fit with the Seattle Seahawks’ new regime. What if rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. looks as good or better than Kirk Cousins in the Atlanta Falcons offense?
With the Raiders’ cap flexibility for the 2025 offseason, they can pursue a veteran upgrade at quarterback if one becomes available on the market or via trade.
Rewarding consistency over progression
Within the fanbase, Robert Spillane, Malcolm Koonce, Nate Hobbs, Tre’von Moehrig and Divine Deablo are popular names mentioned as candidates for a contract extension.
You can make a strong case for Spillane, who’s coming off his best year as the centerpiece of an ascending defense, and Koonce, who plays a premium position that comes with a rising cost for upstart talent.
However, Telesco should be careful about rewarding player progression over consistency.
In the NFL, a player’s progression can have its peaks and valleys.
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For example, a player could have a good season, a subpar or injury-riddled year and then a quality campaign in that order. Hobbs and Moehrig fall into this category.
In fact, Hobbs has missed 29 percent of the team’s games (10 outings) over the past two years.
Telesco may want to see Hobbs play through a more complete season before signing him to an extension. He may also want to see Moehrig put together back-to-back quality campaigns to seal his case for a new deal.
Deablo has progressed in three seasons, but he has struggled in pass coverage, allowing a passer rating of 104.8 or higher in each of those years. He will probably have to improve in that area to get a long-term extension.
Keep in mind that if Hobbs and Moehrig continue to play at a high level, Telesco can still sign them to extensions during the 2024 season. Neither player has shown signs of a potential holdout or “hold-in” to protest their current salaries.
Without a doubt, Hobbs and Moehrig have progressed under defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, though general managers usually want to see year-to-year consistency in production and availability before they lock players into multiyear contracts.
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Progress and consistency are not always interchangeable. Progress can have incredible highs and basement-level lows, with injuries or underwhelming production. Consistency shows a steady level of high production.
With that thought in mind, it’s easier to understand why Moehrig and Hobbs may have to play out the 2024 season on expiring contracts.
Maurice Moton covers the Las Vegas Raiders for Sportsnaut. You can follow him on Twitter at @MoeMoton.