Silver And Black Pride
Returning Raider Nation’s questions for the week
The offseason is officially winding down as free agency is in the books (for the most part), the 2025 NFL Draft was two weeks ago, and the Las Vegas Raiders are beginning their minicamps and OTAs this weekend. So, this week’s mailbag will focus on putting a bow on new general manager John Spytek’s and new head coach Pete Carroll’s first offseason in Las Vegas.
Q: How are you feeling about the Raiders' offseason efforts so far? Without grading on a curve, what grade do you give it?
A: In full disclosure, I’m in the camp of people who don’t think free agency or draft grades mean much until the players hit the field. But I do understand the logic behind them as a way to add context to an initial reaction or thoughts on the moves.
With that in mind, I’ll give Spytek and Carroll a B-. I think they deserve a C+ for free agency and a B for the draft to average out at a B-.
While it’s understandable that Spytek and Carroll weren't going to overpay for players in free agency, they did lose quite a bit of talent defensively and sat on a lot of cap space to earn a slightly above-average mark. For the draft, I like the haul overall, but also would have preferred to see them target more defensive players.
I still have questions about what the plan is at nickelback, linebacker, nose tackle and free safety to keep Syptek and Carroll out of the ‘A’ range heading into training camp.
A: You touched on it, it’s easily ownership.
I feel pretty confident that Tom Telesco would still be the general manager had Tom Brady not come aboard, and it wouldn’t have surprised me if Mark Davis stuck with Antonio Pierce for another year. So, Brady becoming a minority owner had a domino effect on the entire offseason and ensuing moves.
Q: Do you think the Raiders will sign or trade for a veteran CB? Jalen Ramsey sure would be nice.
A: I’d be surprised if Las Vegas traded for Ramsey, considering how the new regime has operated so far this offseason. Reports surfaced this week that the Dolphins aren’t willing to eat some of his contract, and that’s been a roadblock in trade negotiations.
As mentioned above, the Raiders have been bargain hunting this spring, so I don’t foresee them trading for a 30-year-old (who turns 31 in October) that is currently the third-highest-paid corner in the league on a dollar-per-year basis.
I touched on this last week, I think signing someone like Mike Hilton to play nickel is more likely. Hilton is also on the wrong side of 30, but he’d be much cheaper than Ramsey and wouldn’t cost any draft capital.
A: I’d pass on Jadeveon Clowney if I’m Spytek. He’s 32 and battled injuries throughout his career, including missing three games last year. The Raiders have a lot of young defensive...
