Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) lifts his award as general manager John Spytek, left, looks on after receiving the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award before a game against the Denver Broncos at Allegiant Stadium on Dec. 7, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
If you had told me last Friday that
free agency wouldn’t be the craziest story surrounding the Las Vegas Raiders this week, I wouldn’t have believed you. But this is the Raiders. In the span of about four days, we saw
Maxx Crosby post a 13-minute heartfelt goodbye video to the fanbase, only for him to end up back on the team. Wild.
It’s been a crazy week between the Corsby situation, free agent signings and the corresponding 2026 NFL draft implications. So, we have a lot to go over for this week’s mailbag. Let’s get to it!
RaidingAllDay
What’s your honest assessment of our free agency results, including the 800 pound gorilla in the room, the Mad Maxx situation?
A: B+. But a high B+, like an 88 or 89 percent.
I honestly don’t hold the Crosby trade falling through against John Spytek at all. Spytek did a great job negotiating the deal with the Ravens, setting and staying firm on his price tag until a team was willing to meet it. The trade fell through for something that was out of Spytek’s control. It seems pretty clear that Eric DeCosta and the Ravens just got cold feet, buyer’s remorse, or whatever you want to call it, and used Crosby’s knee injury, which everyone knew about, as their tool to back out of the agreement.
As far as the actual signings go, I like that Spytek went after young players who are getting their second NFL contracts and have high upside. Quay Walker is the best example of that, and Kwity Paye can be thrown into the same category. Those two certainly have some work to do to reach their full potential, but they’re high-level athletes and former first-round picks who are worth betting on.
I also love that Spytek wasn’t afraid to back up the Brinks truck and didn’t care about resetting the interior offensive line market to sign
Tyler Linderbaum. That’s a massive upgrade to the offensive line, the Raiders’ biggest weakness last year.
On top of that, Nakobe Dean was someone I was hoping Las Vegas would target to improve the linebacker room. Of course, making sure Dean stays healthy will be a challenge, but he’s a great player when on the field.
I’m not a big fan of getting Taron Johnson since he’s about to turn 30 and has been banged up over the last two years. But Johnson is basically on a one-year deal and is an upgrade over what the defense had at nickelback last season. So, I get the move, I’d just continue to look at other options in the draft.
While Paye has upside, I’m not as bullish on him. He’s a good run defender and could develop as a pass-rusher, but he’s been in the league for five years and has never been someone who consistently gets pressure on the quarterback.
Finally, Jalen Nailor is an underwhelming addition for me since he doesn’t fill the “WR1” role that the offense needs. However, a lot of people whose opinions I respect seem to think Nailor can be more productive now that he’s not competing for targets with Justin Jefferson. So maybe he can be a better addition than what originally meets the eye. I haven’t gotten a chance to dive into Nailor’s tape yet and will do that early next week, but S&BP’s Marcus Johnson wrote about what the receiver brings to the table via the article below.
Overall, I think Spytek has done a pretty good job and handled an adverse and complicated situation well. I respect the hell out of him for not backing out of any of the deals he agreed to on Monday after finding out that he’s going to have $30 million less of cap space to work with the next day. Apparently, that’s not a trait every NFL general manager has…
Q: Would you say Maxx is 100% a Raider for 2026?
A: I learned a long time ago to always expect the unexpected with the Raiders, and the Crosby situation is another not-so-subtle reminder of that. LOL! So, I’m not going to say anything is 100 percent, but I definitely lean toward Maxx at least beginning next season in the Silver and Black. If he does get traded (again), I don’t think it will happen anytime soon and will be closer to the draft at the least.
Part of how the Ravens backing out screws the Raiders is that Sptek lost a ton of leverage. There are two fewer suitors since the Cowboys moved on by trading for Rashan Gary, and any other team is going to use Crosby’s knee to lower the pricetag. If Spytek were to start working the phones right now, he’d come across as desperate, and that ruins his negotiation leverage.
At this point, I think it’s best to keep Crosby on the roster and play the waiting game if there is any thought or interest in trading him. Maybe a contending team that needs an edge defender strikes out in free agency and/or the draft and is willing to meet the pricetag. But it doesn’t make sense for Spytek to just give Crosby away for pennies on the dollar, especially since
he seems to be willing to play for the Raiders now.
SacRaider
Looks like we still have a lot of cap space even with Maxx back in the fold. What major holes remain on the roster and which FAs would you sign to address them as it’s bargain hunting time?
A: The Raiders don’t have that much cap space left over. As of Friday,
Over The Cap has them at $34 million, but that doesn’t include Quay Walker’s and Matt Gay’s contracts, and OTC estimates that their
draft class will take about $12.8 million. Also, most general managers like to leave a little wiggle room for an emergency fund in case they need to sign someone during training camp or the regular season.
So, it’s definitely bargain-hunting time to fill the remaining holes on the roster: guard, right tackle, nose tackle, free safety and backup quarterback.
At guard, former Browns Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller would be good options at this stage. The right tackle market was pretty weak heading into free agency, and it doesn’t help that Jermaine Eluemunor and Braden Smith signed elsewhere. I’d look into bringing in Jack Conklin or Jonah Williams to at least compete with DJ Glaze and Charles Grant for the starting job.
For nose tackle, I think the Raiders are better off drafting someone and using the 36th pick for that spot. Free safety is kind of the same, another option at 36 or maybe later with the third- or fourth-rounders. The draft class is deep at both positions.
I’ll touch on the backup quarterback situation more later, but it’s looking like Kirk Cousins is the best option.
Q: Assuming Maxx is locked in as his post implies, how do you see the edge rotation shaking out in the base 3-4? Is there a significant role for Tyree Wilson to try to justify his place in Vegas beyond 2026?
A: Crosby is going to be the every-down standup outside linebacker/edge, and I could see Paye being the first and second down guy on the other side, with Malcolm Koonce being used in pass-rush situations. Charles Snowden will be the backup run defender while Brennan Jackson is the emergency pass-rusher, barring someone else signing or getting drafted.
Wilson should be the 3-4 defensive end, meaning anywhere from a 4i- to a 5-technique alignment. That’s the type of role I thought he’d be best in coming out of Texas Tech, so I’m interested to see how he does this year. I think it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that the Raiders aren’t picking up his fifth-year option, so it wouldn’t surprise me if this is the 2023 first-round pick’s last season in Vegas. But we’ll see how the year plays out for him.
Q: Do you think the Raiders’ transactions listing Quay as an outside linebacker is true to where they are going to play him? If you do, do you think he has a better season than he did while on the Packers?
A: I got the question about Walker moving to the edge a lot, and have been confused as to where it’s coming from. Maybe the transaction log got updated, but
this has him listed as an ‘LB’, the same designation given to Dean.
Typically, you want a standup outside linebacker to be about 250 pounds and have at least 33-inch arms. Walker is about 10 pounds too light and is nearly half an inch below the arm length threshold, so it’s not like he fits the physical profile. Also, I didn’t see any pass-rush moves that would translate to him playing on the edge when I watched his tape.
I think Walker sticks at inside linebacker. He has good size, strength and athleticism at that spot; he just struggles with the mental part of the position. Reuniting him with Dean, who likely wears the green dot and takes on the responsibility of getting everyone lined up, can help take the thinking off Walker’s plate and let his natural ability flourish. In my opinion, that’s why those two were so good together at Georgia.
Q: What’s the Raiders’ starting defense look like at the moment?
A: Edge: Crosby and Paye, with Koonce being the designated pass-rusher
NT: Draft pick (likely 36)
DT/DEs: Wilson and Jonah Laulu, with Tonka Hemingway competing for a spot
ILB: Dean and Walker
CB: Eric Stokes and Darien Porter, with Johnson as the nickel
S: Jermey Chinn and a draft pick
Q: What do you think of the Kitty Paye signing, and where will he line up in the 3/4? How does he compare to Boye Mafe, who signed for more money?
A: My thoughts on Paye are above; a good run defender but an underwhelming pass rusher. Some people have asked about him playing the DE/DT role, but those guys are typically 280 to 300 pounds, and he’s about 260. Paye’s also a better athlete than the fanbase seems to be giving him credit for. He’s an edge in the 3-4 defense.
Mafe is definitely the better player of the two. He’s as good of a run defender and has had at least 40 pressures in each of the last three seasons, per
Pro Football Focus, while Paye has been
under 40 every year. That’s why the former is making $4 million a year more.
Q: Trusting Jackson Powers-Johnson (always hurt) and Caleb Rogers to be the starting guards seems dicey, no?
A: I definitely agree with you and am surprised Spytek hasn’t signed one more starting-caliber offensive lineman. Granted, that might have been in the plans until the salary cap situation changed on him…
If it doesn’t happen by the time this publishes, I’d like to see the Raiders bring in a veteran guard who can at least compete for a starting job to push JPJ and Rogers at some point next week. Either of the Browns guys mentioned above is a good option, in my opinion.
Q: Will Jordan Meredith be brought back to compete at guard or be a reserve?
A: We should get a firm answer in the next week or two. The Raiders placed the original round restricted free agent tender on Meredith (h/t
ESPN’s Ryan McFadden). Since he was undrafted, that basically just gives them the chance to match any offer he gets from another team. So, there’s a decent chance Meredith is back in Las Vegas next season. And if he is, he’ll be competing with Powers-Johnson and Rogers for one of the starting spots.
Q: Do the Raiders end up finding a WR1 this year?
A: Again, I’ll never say anything is 100 percent when it comes to this franchise, but I’m about 99.9 percent confident that Brock Bowers will be the closest the Raiders have to a “WR1” this year.
This isn’t a good offseason to need a true No. 1 receiver, especially in Las Vegas’ case, since Fernando Mendoza is probably already looking for a house in Summerlin. I still like my long-game idea of seeing how this season plays out and potentially going after Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith in next year’s draft.
Q: I have heard stories that the Raiders are interested in signing Kirk Cousins and letting Fernando come along slowly. Why wouldn’t they sign a younger, familiar DC4 to mentor Mendoza? Makes more sense to me. Cousins is older and less mobile. Derek would be a great mentor to the young QB.
A: For starters, the Saints still own Carr’s rights, so the Raiders would have to give something up for him, while Cousins was released by the Falcons this week and is a free agent. Also, Carr recently said if he’s going to come back and play,
it’d be for a contender, and the Raiders are in a rebuilding year.
On top of all that, if the organization is going to sign a quarterback to be a bridge gap and primarily serve as Mendoza’s mentor, it wants as little attention on said player as possible. Adding Carr, who has a long history with the franchise, would be the opposite of that. It’s almost better to sign someone who may not be as good a player. That way, if Mendoza struggles, there’s not a bunch of outside noise about making a quarterback change.
Meanwhile, Cousins has more experience working with Kubiak and in Kubiak’s offense than Carr does, and he doesn’t have a connection with the fanbase where people will call for him to start.
Plus, Cousins has seen it all as a quarterback in the NFL. He began as a backup, earned the starting job, dealt with high-profile contract negotiations, has been a starter for several teams and coaches, and has even been benched. He’s battle-tested and seen it all to be a good sounding board for a young QB.
SoonerThanLater
Hi, thanks for taking our question. Do you think this year’s defensive FA acquisitions more than makes up for the FA defensive players the Raiders lost last season? Thanks again
A: For clarity, I’m assuming this is in reference to guys like Robert Spillane, Tre’von Moehrig, etc. So, the 2024 and the 2025 offseason losses.
Immediately better, no. I think Dean and Walker could eventually be better than Spillane, but the latter is the superior player right now. Granted, Dean could be better next season if he can stay healthy. Also, Las Vegas is still searching for the pass-rush production that K’Lavon Chaisson gave them, hoping that Koonce returns to his 2023 form with another “prove-it” contract.
At nickel, I could see Nate Hobbs and Johnson being a wash, especially since Hobbs continues to battle injuries and was bad for the Packers last season. Granted, Green Bay was playing him out of position. The Raiders haven’t added a safety yet, so the void from Moehrig is still there. Same with nose tackle and John Jenkins.
So, there’s still some work to do, and Spytek has been targeting younger players who have more upside rather than established veterans. But the team wasn’t going to get completely fixed in one offseason, and the goal this spring should be to get younger and build for the future, which Spytek has done so far.
Benjamin A. Sorensen
Based on what we have now, what do you expect the weakest part of our offense to be?
A: Someone replied “quarterback” to this question, and that gave me a good laugh. Technically, that’s true since Aidan O’Connell is the only one left on the roster. But, as mentioned above, we all know it’s just a matter of time until Mendoza is holding up a silver and black jersey.
The weakest part of the offense is right tackle, with guard being a close second and wide receiver not too far behind.
I go with right tackle over guard because I’m worried about Glaze being the starter again, and we’ve seen more from Rogers than Grant so far. So, I’m not confident about either spot right now, but I have more reason to believe in Rogers than any of the other question marks. A similar statement could be made about the receivers, where Jack Bech, Tre Tucker or Nailor could break out this season, but none are proven commodities at this point.
That’ll do it for this week’s mailbag. Thank you all for submitting questions and, as your weekly reminder, if you’d like to have your questions answered in a future column, tweet them at me,
@MHolder95, email them to
[email protected] or look for our weekly call for questions on the site. The latter will continue to publish on Thursdays.
