Bright spots have been few and far between for the Las Vegas Raiders during the 2025 NFL season. One particularly weak point for the Silver and Black has been the offensive line, despite all five starters returning from last year's group, which was fairly average in 2024.
Obviously, the offensive line coach change has not borne much fruit. But several players also took steps back in Year 2, like Jackson Powers-Johnson and DJ Glaze. Jordan Meredith had his struggles transitioning to center as well, and Kolton Miller has spent most of the year on Injured Reserve.
The fifth member of the starting lineup, left guard Dylan Parham, has faded into obscurity for much of the season because he is an established veteran, and his problems have been less pronounced than most of his fellow big boys up front. That doesn't mean he hasn't had his share of struggles, however.
Dylan Parham's late-season surge makes his looming FA decision tricky
Parham was drafted back in 2022, which means that he is currently playing on the final year of his rookie deal. Considering he does not have a long-term extension in place with the Raiders, Parham is set to hit unrestricted free agency this spring.
However, Parham has been making a bit of a case recently for Las Vegas to keep him in the building. He's fared quite well in the last few weeks, recording pass-blocking grades of 72.7 or better in four of the last five weeks, and a net Pro Football Focus grade of 76.1 or more twice in the last three weeks.
In Week 16 against the Houston Texans, who had the NFL's best rushing defense before the game, Parham catapulted Ashton Jeanty to his big day. The rookie running back had 88 of his 128 rushing yards running off Parham, including his 51-yard touchdown. Parham's 90.1 PFF grade led the team.
While Parham hasn't put together the best campaign overall, he's shown up against some of the league's best defenses, playing well against the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos, as well as the Texans last Sunday.
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According to Spotrac, Parham's market value is $10.3 million per year, which means that the Raiders would have to sign him to something in the ballpark of a three-year, $31 million deal. That is a hefty investment, but it is far from the top of the market, and Las Vegas has plenty of salary cap space.
John Spytek and the Raiders' front office will need to make some critical evaluations this offseason, as good guards with tons of experience are hard to come by. Parham has played in 64 NFL games, starting 63, and has nearly 4,000 snaps under his belt. That is hard to replace.
But Las Vegas has some promising young pieces at guard, too, like Powers-Johnson and rookie Caleb Rogers, as well as recently-promoted Atonio Mafi and practice squader Laki Tasi. If they feel comfortable with these young pieces, Parham may need to find a new home.
If the Raiders' front office does not feel comfortable betting on those pieces to develop, Parham could land a contract to stay in Las Vegas. He'll have a handful of other suitors around the league after having a resurgence in the second half of the year, so this equation is getting harder to solve.