Over the last decade, the Las Vegas Raiders have taken big swings on the free-agent market. Although only a few of the team's most costly investments returned solid value, general manager John Spytek's 2026 free agent class can brighten the franchise's future.
The Raiders have seen a lot go wrong with the veterans they paid handsomely. Still, the current regime couldn't let past free agent flops prevent them from addressing glaring roster needs ahead of the upcoming season.
After taking a conservative approach last offseason, Spytek went on a spending spree at the beginning of the new league year. Among his most notable signings, he added Tyler Linderbaum to the books on a record-setting deal.
So, where does Linderbaum's contract rank among the Raiders' biggest free-agent deals in the last 10 years?
Based on contract value and player resume, Jakobi Meyers kicks off Las Vegas Raiders' top 10 free-agent signings since 2017
10. WR Jakobi Meyers (three years, $33 million in 2023)
Jakobi Meyers led the New England Patriots in receiving yards for three consecutive seasons before reuniting with Josh McDaniels in Las Vegas. Ironically, the underrated wideout eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in a season for the first time in his career in 2024, the year after the Raiders fired McDaniels.
Meyers made the list over Tyrell Williams, who signed a four-year, $44.3 million deal in 2019 because the former was coming off his best season and generated some buzz due to his ties to McDaniels in New England.
9. DE Yannick Ngakoue (two years, $26 million in 2021)
By the time Yannick Ngakoue signed with the Raiders, he had been on his fourth team in three seasons. That said, the talented edge-rusher had a 2019 Pro Bowl year on his resume and registered at least 8.0 sacks in each of his first five seasons.
At the time of this signing, Las Vegas needed a bookend pass-rusher to pair with Maxx Crosby. Ngakoue registered a career-high 10 sacks with the Silver and Black, but the club traded him before his second year with the team.
8. LB Cory Littleton (three years, $35.25 million in 2020)
Cory Littleton worked his way up the Los Angeles Rams' depth chart and became one of the league's top cover linebackers. He earned Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors in 2018. Two years later, the Raiders signed him to stabilize the middle of their defense.
Littleton didn't play up to his big-money contract and lost one of the starting off-ball linebacker jobs in his second year with the team. Las Vegas released him after two disappointing seasons.
7. DE Kwity Paye (three years, $48 million in 2026)
Spytek likely signed Kwity Paye thinking that Maxx Crosby would remain a Baltimore Raven after the trade was agreed to. He spent a significant chunk of cap space on the versatile defensive lineman who had somewhat of a down 2025 season, logging 39 tackles (six for loss) and four sacks.
On the flip side, Paye registered a career-high 23 pressures last year. With Crosby back in the fold following the failed trade, Las Vegas has a solid defensive front that could lead a much-improved defense. Among edge-rushers, Paye's contract ranks 26th in average annual value, per Spotrac.
6. LB Quay Walker (three years, $40.5 million in 2026)
Like Paye, Quay Walker hasn't played a snap in a Raiders uniform, but he makes the list because of his contract value.Â
In terms of average annual value, Walker's contract is 12th among linebackers, per Spotrac. He's also banking about $2.5 million more in cash than Nakobe Dean, who signed a three-year, $36 million contract with the team.
5. DE Chandler Jones (three years, $51 million in 2022)
After trading Ngakoue, the Raiders inked Chandler Jones to a lucrative deal. Former general manager Dave Ziegler made this move in the same offseason that he acquired wide receiver Davante Adams from the Green Bay Packers. He came in strong in addressing both sides of the ball, but this move will be viewed as one of the worst in his short tenure.
Jones only played one season with the Raiders, recording 38 tackles (three for loss) and 4.5 sacks. Those numbers were a significant dropoff from his Pro Bowl years with the Patriots and Arizona Cardinals. In September of 2023, Las Vegas placed Jones on the non-football injury list due to personal matters and released him a week later.
4. RT Trent Brown (four years, $66 million in 2019)
In 2019, Las Vegas signed Trent Brown to a deal that made him the league's highest-paid offensive lineman, which justifies his spot at No. 4. As was the case at previous stops with the San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots, he struggled to stay on the field.
Brown experienced a life-threatening mishap with a pregame IV that resulted in hospitalization. Aside from this incident, he missed several games with the team and only suited up for 16 outings in two seasons after signing his market-setting deal.Â
On a positive note, Brown earned a Pro Bowl nod in his first of two campaigns with the Raiders.
3. QB Jimmy Garoppolo (three years, $72.75 million in 2023)
During the Raiders' New England phase, they signed Jimmy Garoppolo to a notable contract in a pivot from Derek Carr, whom the team released in February of 2023. Garoppolo's tenure had a rocky start. The Raiders delayed his introductory press conference to add waivers and injury clauses to the deal as he recovered from a foot injury.Â
Garoppolo's concerning introduction to the team marked the beginning of quarterback limbo in Las Vegas. The team benched him for Aidan O'Connell in the first year with the team. Looking back, Garoppolo's contract made more headlines than he did as the Raiders' starting quarterback.
2. DT Christian Wilkins (four years, $110 million in 2024)
In 2024, former general manager Tom Telesco made a splashy move within the first hour of free agency, signing Christian Wilkins to the biggest deal for a defensive player on the open market.
Like many of the aforementioned big-ticket signings, Wilkins didn't play up to expectations, registering 17 tackles (two for loss) and two sacks in five games with the team. To make matters worse, the club is still in a legal battle with him. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, an unnamed teammate filed a complaint to human resources about Wilkins.
Wilkins and the Raiders were also at odds about how he should rehab a Jones fracture in his left foot, which factored into his release after just one season, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
1. C Tyler Linderbaum (three years, $81 million in 2026)
The Raiders have whiffed on several high-profile free agents over the last decade, though Linderbaum could be the free-agent signing who gets this team back on the right track. The Raiders signed the three-time Pro Bowler to a deal that made him the highest-paid center by a wide margin.
Linderbaum is set to make an average of $9 million more per year than Creed Humphrey, who's the second-highest paid center, per Spotrac.
Clearly, the Raiders went above and beyond to sign Linderbaum. He could be a foundational piece of a revamped offensive line and a major help to rookie Fernando Mendoza once he takes over for Kirk Cousins.
Moe Moton writes about the Raiders for Just Blog Baby. You can follow him on Twitter at @MoeMoton.Â
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