John Spytek has taken a wrecking ball to much of the Las Vegas Raiders' roster in his two seasons with the franchise. This was long overdue, as the Silver and Black haven't built much of anything lately, and not everyone can remain on board as the organization finally rebuilds the right way.
But the 2026 NFL season is a big one for the Raiders, as it'll determine, in a lot of ways, who gets to stick around and what the blueprint in Las Vegas will be going forward. Players have a chance to prove that they belong in the future plans, and if they don't, they'll be replaced by this time next year.
With that in mind, the team has 20 players in the building who are set for free agency in March, meaning they are in a contract year and will be extra motivated and financially incentivized to play well, whether they end up re-signing with the Raiders, earning an extension or heading elsewhere.
Here are six key players who fall into this category and need big seasons to make themselves some money next spring.
6 key Raiders who are heading into a contract year in 2026
Tre Tucker
Tucker has improved his production every season in Las Vegas, and 2026 may be his best one yet. With nobody else stepping up in the wide receiver room thus far, Tucker is the undisputed top option, and Klint Kubiak seemed intent this preseason on getting him involved early and often. With a big year, he could cash in, and the Raiders may want to keep him alongside a true No. 1 guy for the future.
Michael Mayer
Mayer is better situated to thrive under Kubiak than he has been under any of the coaches that he's played for in his career. Brock Bowers will be the star of the show, but Mayer should benefit from other teams putting their best defenders on Bowers and Tucker. With what fans can only assume will be his best year yet, it'll be interesting to see what kind of market Mayer can create for himself.
Jeremy Chinn
Chinn is already in a contract year because he signed a two-year deal with the Raiders last offseason. He had his high and low moments last season in Las Vegas, but with what is supposed to be a better supporting cast this year, Chinn can have even more success in 2026 and parlay that into another lucrative multi-year deal. If he does play well, at the right price, the team should want to keep him.
Malcolm Koonce
Koonce is perennially in a contract year because he continues to sign one-year pacts with the Silver and Black. But now that he is further removed from his injury, he can put together solid production and make the money he was expected to make a few offseasons ago. With a fairly deep edge rusher room, depending on the year he has, Koonce could play his way out of Las Vegas' price range.
Spencer Burford
Burford inked a fairly cheap one-year deal with the Raiders this offseason, but he ascended quickly into starter status. And if he plays as well as the folks in Las Vegas expect him to, then he'll be due for a pay bump next offseason. The question here becomes whether the team re-signs him or saves the money and banks on what is still a young guard room to take the next step for much cheaper.
Aidan O'Connell
O'Connell wants to be a starting quarterback in this league; he said so himself. Well, he won't be that in Las Vegas, so the Raiders are going to have to pay if they want to keep him in 2027 or beyond. The problem is that, if all goes well, O'Connell won't touch the field in 2026. So, this is just a complete mystery, and it is impossible to predict what'll happen. But AOC will need to ball out if given a chance.
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