Silver And Black Pride
Having started 74 of the 75 career games he’s played over the course of five seasons in the league and inking a rich three-year $48 million contract in free agency, one can safely assume Kwity Paye looms large in the Las Vegas Raiders’ plans this coming season.
The 27-year-old Michigan product was one of big-ticket additions when free agency opened in mid-March, garnering a contract with the Silver & Black that includes $31.238 million guaranteed and $25.738 of which was fully guaranteed when he signed said pact. Financial commitment noted, the Indianapolis Colts’ first-round pick (21st overall) in the 2021 NFL Draft certainly fills a need on the Raiders’ defense. (Even though Paye’s initial arrival was based on Las Vegas’ dealing fellow edge rusher Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens was initially believed to be a done deal).
By The Numbers
Kwity Paye, Edge Rusher
Standing 6-foot-3 and 265 pounds, Paye is a power-based edge presence who can not only set but maintain the edge and provide a much-needed tag team partner and run eliminator alongside Crosby. The Raiders have long sought a complementary bookend to Crosby, including spending the seventh-0verall selection in the 2023 draft on Tyree Wilson. But Wilson’s development wasn’t to the team’s liking and he was traded to the New Orleans Saints alongside a 2026 seventh-round pick (219th overall that was used on Iowa cornerback TJ Hall) in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the draft (Raiders picked Arizona safety Dalton Johnson 150th overall with said selection).
That noted, Paye’s fit on the Raiders’ 3-4 defensive front is a standup strong-side outside linebacker who takes on offensive linemen and tight ends alike, but also the versatility and power to be a hands-in-dirt defensive end, depending on down, distance, and circumstance.
We’ve already seen how much a demon Crosby is against both the run and pass. The 28-year-old homegrown Raider has an ungodly 133 tackles for loss (he lead the league in this category in back-to-back seasons in 2022 and 2023) in his seven years with the Raiders, including 28 this past season (new Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Myles Garrett led the league with 33).
Paye doesn’t have that same ridiculous numbers at 37 total in his five years, but the former Colt and Wolverine is every bit as tenacious and driven to make a difference as is more productive Raiders’ teammate. A significant portion of Paye’s production is on sheer pursuit and will alone and it’s that high motor and closing speed which make him a force both as a run defender and pass rusher.
Thus, when the Raiders are in the base 3-4 defensive front, deploying Paye as the strong-side outside linebacker (SAM) to force run plays back...
