The Las Vegas Raiders suffered a tough loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 4 of the 2025 NFL season. They fell by a score of 25-24 after Daniel Carlson's game-winning 54-yard field goal attempt was blocked with just over 30 seconds remaining.
Despite falling to 1-3 for the season as Geno Smith threw three interceptions, there were plenty of positives to build on. The offensive line showed up, and the rushing attack exploded for 240 yards. Ashton Jeanty had his best game yet, recording 155 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns.
Las Vegas' defense also stepped up, allowing a season-low 271 yards. They were stout against the pass and run, allowing 202 and 69 yards, respectively. While there were several bright spots on the Raiders' defense, safety Isaiah Pola-Mao remains a sore spot that needs to be replaced.
Raiders need to give four-time All-Pro safety a call to replace Isaiah Pola-Mao
Pola-Mao has been one of the worst safeties in the entire NFL through four weeks. After Sunday's matchup with the Bears, he has a 35.9 Pro Football Focus grade that ranks 123rd out of 125 safeties in the league.
The fourth-year safety has been equally bad both against the run and pass, ranking 97th and 118th, respectively. After a solid performance in Week 1, Pola-Mao allowed a perfect passer rating in each of the following two games.
He was not much better in Week 4, as he looked lost on a third-quarter 27-yard passing touchdown from Caleb Williams to Rome Odunze on third-and-12. Simply put, the former undrafted free agent cannot continue to receive playing time if he plays at this level.
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Luckily, there is a four-time All-Pro that remains unsigned four weeks into the season. Nearly 32-year-old safety Justin Simmons has spent nine seasons in the NFL, earning All-Pro honors as recently as 2023. In fact, he earned the honor every year from 2021-2023.
He has 134 games of experience and 666 tackles and 32 interceptions under his belt. Furthermore, he is familiar with the AFC West after spending the first eight seasons of his career with the Denver Broncos. He also spent last season with the Atlanta Falcons and performed well.
It remains unclear why Simmons has not been picked up yet, but he clearly still has gas in the tank and a wealth of experience to draw from. He likely wouldn't cost much at this point, and it is clear that he would be a better option at free safety than Pola-Mao has been over the first four weeks.