The Las Vegas Raiders had nearly 30 players set to hit free agency this past offseason. With a new regime coming in from outside the building, most of those players had to know that their days in Las Vegas were numbered.
There were a few exceptions to this, however, one of whom was defensive end Malcolm Koonce. His body of work during the 2023 NFL season was almost enough for a contract extension, but with changing leadership and on the heels of a torn ACL, nothing was certain for the 2021 third-rounder.
Koonce did end up re-signing with the Raiders, and he struck a fairly lucrative deal. Although it was just a one-year contract, he was set to make $12 million during the 2025 NFL season if all went right, which was quite the payday for a player in his difficult spot.
Malcolm Koonce's resurgence forces Raiders' front office into tough decision
While Koonce picked up right where he left off in Week 1 with a sack and two run stops against the New England Patriots, he simmered down rather quickly. In fact, Koonce had been pretty invisible for a good part of the campaign, which was taking its toll on the defensive line.
This caused plenty of fans, including us, to question whether or not re-signing Koonce was the right move, especially considering the incredible play of former Raider K'Lavon Chaisson and a handful of other defensive ends who were available last offseason as well.
His production still hasn't been top-notch, but after being shut out from the box score in Weeks 10 and 11, Koonce has made a nice recovery in the last two weeks. It seems like he is finally feeling like himself again after his injury and, as a result, rewriting the script for the Raiders' defense.
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Over the last two games, Koonce has recorded 2.0 sacks, three total pressures and three run stops. Again, he hasn't even been as dominant as Clelin Ferrell has been recently for the San Francisco 49ers, but Koonce is also known to get better as the season goes along, as he showed in 2023.
A multi-year extension from the Raiders' front office doesn't seem to be in the cards for Koonce this offseason unless he really kicks it into high gear over the final month of the campaign. But he could still land a nice deal to return to Las Vegas, or land elsewhere, if he continues to ascend.
Las Vegas' defense needs some more playmakers, and with so much attention being thrown Maxx Crosby's way, Koonce stepping up would do wonders for this group, and it would do wonders for him and his career.
The Raiders have been longing for Tyree Wilson to step up, as he is still under contract next year, and Charles Snowden has emerged in the latter half of the year. Both of those realities began to paint a picture of Koonce being expendable.
But Koonce finally finding his footing may actually complicate the equation for what to do on the edge next year in Las Vegas. Luckily, that is a good problem to have.