It will be a busy offseason for the Las Vegas Raiders.
After firing head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco, Mark Davis and his crew of minority owners replaced them with Pete Carroll and John Spytek, respectively. The organization still has a lot of work to do, however, after finalizing their staff.
Free agency is on the horizon and the Raiders have 27 free agents this offseason. While Spytek and Co. will not be able to keep every player in Las Vegas, there are a handful of players like Tre'Von Moehrig, Malcolm Koonce, Robert Spillane, Nate Hobbs and Adam Butler who are worthy of a contract.
ESPN writer Matt Bowen, however, does not think that Tre'Von Moehrig or Malcolm Koonce should re-sign with the team. Instead, he feels that their "best fit" is elsewhere in the NFL.
Tre'Von Moehrig - Carolina Panthers
"Moehrig would bring tone-setting traits as an interchangeable safety in the Panthers' scheme," wrote Bowen. "The Panthers need to upgrade all three levels of their defense this offseason -- they allowed a league-worst 6.0 yards per play -- and signing Moehrig would be a good start."
Moehrig has a predicted $15.7 million average annual value, which is a hefty contract for a safety. However, the Buccaneers (where Spytek spent the previous nine seasons) proved that they were willing to spend big on the position when they signed Antoine Winfield Jr. to his contract, so nothing is impossible for this regime.
The team would want to keep Moehrig if they had their choice, but it will come down to price, as it always does. Because every safety who played significant snaps for the Raiders last season will be a free agent come March, I could see Spytek making Moehrig a priority.
Malcolm Koonce - Tennessee Titans
"Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson needs an impact edge rusher to complement his two interior defenders -- Jeffery Simmons and T'Vondre Sweat," wrote Bowen. "If the knee checks out, Koonce would have upside in Wilson's system as a three-down defender with pass-rush chops.
Koonce's market value is $20 million per year, which is roughly what teams are paying for a pass rusher of his caliber. The problem for the Raiders is that they still need to give Maxx Crosby some guaranteed money and they have other, cheaper options available to them like Tyree Wilson and K'Lavon Chaisson.
Spytek said during his introductory press conference that teams should not let good players leave the building, especially edge rushers. The Raiders' defense could surely use a player like Koonce but the Titans may be a bit more desperate and outbid Las Vegas for him. In that case, there are several transformational defensive linemen available in the 2025 NFL Draft to fill the void if Koonce leaves.