The Las Vegas Raiders need a productive offseason if they want to be competitive next year.
Mark Davis already cleaned house in January and hired Pete Carroll and John Spytek as the franchise's next head coach and general manager tandem. But there is more work to do. Once they finalized the coaching staff, they headed straight to the NFL combine and had the chance to both watch and meet with prospective college players.
Now, with those assessments in mind, they can better make decisions about the 26 players that the Raiders have who are set to become free agents. The notable members of that group are Tre'Von Moehrig, Malcolm Koonce, Robert Spillane, Nate Hobbs and Adam Butler.
Las Vegas may not be able to re-sign all of them, but the hope is that at least a majority of them will remain with the Silver and Black next season. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler thinks that Spillane is an underrated free agent and may command more money than most think.
"Here's another linebacker whose toughness and leadership should help him on the market," wrote Fowler in a segment about underrated free agents.
Spytek already re-signed Isaiah Pola-Mao this offseason, who was a key contributor for the Raiders' defense when the team lost Marcus Epps in 2024 due to injury. His philosophy as an executive is to not let good players leave the building, so it would surprise most to see Spillane leave in free agency.
Carroll chose to retain defensive coordinator Patrick Graham this offseason, and Spillane's career really took off under his guidance two years ago. Perhaps a team offering him a lucrative contract would sway him away, but he does not impress me as a player who simply follows the money.
Spillane may be underrated by some around the league, but those people have not been paying attention. He and Maxx Crosby have been the lifeblood of the Raiders' defense for the past few seasons and he is certainly not underrated by the organization.