Nobody would accuse the Las Vegas Raiders of being good decision-makers over the years. One of their worst habits when it comes to roster building is letting the wrong players leave, whether it be stars who continue their success on other teams or role players who blossom elsewhere.
Josh Jacobs is the foremost example: Las Vegas let him leave, only for him to pick up where he left off with the Green Bay Packers. Not re-signing Robert Spillane and K'Lavon Chaisson also came back to haunt them, as the Raiders needed help at both positions, and they both starred in Super Bowl LX.
But with the hiring of Klint Kubiak, the Silver and Black have a chance at a do-over. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Seattle Seahawks players leave for Las Vegas with Kubiak, and the biggest name being floated is Rashid Shaheed. But the Raiders could have a chance to bring back Drake Thomas.
And they should if the opportunity presents itself.
Raiders should make push for Seahawks LB Drake Thomas in free agency
Thomas doesn't sound familiar? That's okay if he doesn't. He only played with the team for a short while. The undrafted free agent in the 2023 NFL Draft joined the Raiders and spent the entire preseason with the team, but was infamously waived and not re-signed during roster cutdowns.
This decision was bashed by the fanbase, as Thomas starred during each of his three preseason contests. If memory serves, he was one of, if not the highest graded linebacker during the NFL's exhibition slate that year, and the Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler-led Raiders discarded him.
Of course, Thomas was immediately claimed on waivers by the Seattle Seahawks, and after a solid set of showings on special teams as a rookie, he tore his ACL and missed the rest of the year. He played primarily special teams again in 2024.
In 2025, however, he stepped up into a starting linebacker role for Mike Macdonald's defense, and he helped lead what was the league's best defense; one that dominated in Super Bowl LX. Thomas always showed the potential to reach this level, and the Seahawks let him develop. The Raiders didn't.
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However, with Kubiak now leaving Seattle, Las Vegas has a chance for a do-over. With a massive hole at linebacker, and with Thomas' contract with the Seahawks up, general manager John Spytek should make a serious push for the three-year veteran linebacker.
The problem is that, one, the Seahawks will probably want to re-sign Thomas after the year he had, and two, he is a restricted free agent, so Seattle can match any offer that the Raiders make for Thomas and retain his rights.
Seattle has to pay Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Devon Witherspoon, so perhaps the tender that Las Vegas places on Thomas could be too rich for the Seahawks' blood. Spytek has proven that he'll make a push for restricted free agents before, as he did with Christian Elliss last year.
It's a long shot that Thomas returns to the Silver and Black. But there was never a better time than the present, as the Raiders desperately need linebacker help, and one of Thomas' coaches, probably multiple, are already headed to Las Vegas.