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Raiders Nearing Geno Smith Extension?

March 16th, 2025 at 1:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

MARCH 16: Smith has a $16MM roster bonus that is due today, per The Athletic’s Tashan Reed. The Raiders will pay him that money, but for accounting purposes, it can be incorporated into an extension as a signing bonus. That would also allow the Raiders to reduce his $31MM 2025 cap hit.

MARCH 14: The Raiders do not appear to be planning to hold Geno Smith to his Seahawks-constructed contract going into the season. An extension is considered likely, and it could be coming soon.

Smith is expected to agree to a new deal this week, The Athletic’s Tashan Reed reports. Smith negotiated with the Seahawks this offseason, but the sides were far apart on terms. As Smith’s camp pushed for a deal north of $40MM per year, the Seahawks offered him a similar contract to the one they gave Sam Darnold (three years, $100.5MM). The value gap led Seattle to trade Smith to Las Vegas, which will now be tasked with pinpointing the middling quarterback’s price.

Proving more valuable than his current contract suggests, Smith is coming off a season where he eclipsed his 2022 Comeback Player of the Year campaign in passing yards (4,320) and completion percentage (70.4) while matching his yards-per-attempt number (7.5) from that breakout season. He is tied to a deal in QB no-man’s land (three years, $75MM). No quarterback is within $5MM AAV of Smith either way, with Justin Fields (two years, $40MM) and the Darnold/Baker Mayfield range being the closest to the new Raiders starter.

The Seahawks not moving close to $40MM per year for Smith illustrates their view of the ex-Russell Wilson backup. While Smith has not been connected to approaching the $50MM-per-year club, that ballooning contract tier has raised the market as a whole. Smith exited last season as the NFL’s 18th-highest-paid QB; Darnold’s deal bumped him to 19th.

Smith is going into his age-35 season, which offers another complication. The Raiders, however, are likely to authorize an extension that covers at least three years in length, Reed adds. Smith is joining a Las Vegas team that had slogged through two grim years at quarterback following the team’s December 2022 Derek Carr benching, one that led to a release weeks later. Carr had kept the Raiders’ QB1 reins longer than anyone in team history, and the Josh McDaniels regime did not effectively replace him, as Jimmy Garoppolo did not play well despite being given a three-year deal that nearly matched Smith’s Seattle numbers.

The Raiders aggressively pursued Matthew Stafford, though Smith’s age and familiarity with Pete Carroll probably makes him a better fit. Stafford is heading into an age-37 season. With the Raiders finishing 4-13 after Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell operated as the primary passers and playing in a division that sent three teams to the playoffs and one to Super Bowl LIX, identifying a starter who could be in place for a few seasons probably lined up better than trading for a year-to-year QB who would have still drawn a guarantee in the $100MM range.

Smith secured only $27.3MM at signing from the Seahawks, who had paid him just $3.5MM in 2022 and lower rates before that. Mayfield received $50MM guaranteed in total ($40MM at signing), while Darnold’s locked-in number likely rivals that. If the Raiders give Smith a deal in the $40MM-per-year range, the guarantee will need to come in higher than where Mayfield’s settled last year. Regardless of where that number comes in, the Raiders will soon be back in the franchise-QB contract game.

Geno Smith Trade Resulted From Failed Extension Talks

March 14th, 2025 at 10:59pm CST by Ely Allen

One of the bigger pieces of information that we didn’t expect to come out during this free agency craziness was the trade of quarterback Geno Smith from Seattle to Las Vegas. The deal seemed to come out of nowhere, as many reports indicated that negotiations on an extension were underway.

After seeing a resurgent past three seasons in Seattle that included two Pro Bowl berths, Smith was hoping for the team to give him some commitment moving forward, though the team was expected to explore their options. After head coach Mike Macdonald delivered his endorsement of a new deal for Smith and new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak cited Smith as a “huge draw” for the job, it began to seem that things were trending in the right direction for an extension to keep Smith in Seattle.

A little over a week after negotiations opened, though, the trade was announced. According to a couple of sources, the trade was a direct result of the Seahawks and Smith failing to come to agreeable terms on the extension. Per Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic, general manager John Schneider claimed that it had become “apparent” that the two sides were not going to be able to meet in the middle.

The 34-year-old quarterback still had one year left on his current deal, but he had been public about his desire for a new contract that reflected his status as a “top-tier” passer. Dugar’s report from Schneider says that when Seattle submitted what they thought was a fair offer, it quickly became clear that “there was no back and forth coming.” Schneider said that “it wasn’t a very long negotiation” before it became “pretty evident” that Smith would need to be traded.

Despite the hardball-negotiation-nature that that implies, Schneider told The Athletic that Smith did not ask for a trade. Likewise, the Seahawks did not shop Smith out. The Raiders simply reached out with interest at the right time, and after not getting a counteroffer from the extension they offered to Smith, Seattle felt it was making the right move for all parties involved.

The other report on this situation comes from Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports. While Schultz’s rendition aligns with Dugar on much of the developments of the extension discussions, Schultz disagrees with Dugar on two major points. Schultz claims that, after four days of unsuccessful contract negotiations — which doesn’t seem to agree with Schneider’s description of quick negotiations — Smith requested a trade last Thursday night.

Whether or not it was Smith that requested the trade, the Seahawks that shopped Smith out, or the Raiders who intervened on Smith’s behalf ultimately may not end up mattering that much. Seattle was never going to get up to the number Smith desired, and with a “major sign-off from Tom Brady,” new head coach Pete Carroll was able to bring over his former quarterback to the Raiders. Now, we’re seeing reports that Las Vegas is nearing an extension agreement with Smith, indicating that the Raiders may be more willing to reach that number that Smith desired.

NFL Announces 2025 Compensatory Picks

March 14th, 2025 at 12:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

MARCH 14: In an unusual step, the NFL has awarded the Saints a seventh-round compensatory pick and stripped one from the Dolphins. The Saints’ pick appears to check in in front of the Browns and Chargers’ Nos. 254 and 255 slots, as NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero notes Cleveland and Los Angeles’ last 2025 picks will slide down one spot. The Dolphins will retain their other seventh-round comp pick, however.

MARCH 11: The NFL has awarded compensatory draft picks for teams in the 2025 draft. Based on an add/subtract formula that covers the 2024 free agency period, comp picks span from Round 3 to Round 7. The higher picks go to the teams that endured the most significant free agent losses.

This year, the NFL awarded 35 comp picks. The comp pick formula assigns picks to franchises who suffered the largest net losses, so teams that signed multiple free agents have a lesser chance of receiving picks.

Sorted by round and by team, here are the league’s 2025 compensatory selections:

By round:

Round 3: Vikings (No. 97 overall), Dolphins (98), Giants (99), 49ers (100)*, Rams (101)*, Lions (102)*

Round 4: Dolphins (135), Ravens (136), Seahawks (137), 49ers (138)

Round 5: Bills (169), Cowboys (170), Cowboys (171), Seahawks (172), Bills (173), Cowboys (174), Seahawks (175), Ravens (176)

Round 6: Chargers (209), Ravens (210), Cowboys (211), Ravens (212), Raiders (213), Chargers (214), Raiders (215), Browns (216)

Round 7: 49ers (249), Packers (250), Chiefs (251), 49ers (252), Dolphins (253), Browns (254), Chargers (255), Dolphins (256), Chiefs (257)

By team:

  • Baltimore Ravens: 4
  • Dallas Cowboys: 4
  • Miami Dolphins: 4
  • San Francisco 49ers: 4
  • Los Angeles Chargers: 3
  • Seattle Seahawks: 3
  • Buffalo Bills: 2
  • Cleveland Browns: 2
  • Kansas City Chiefs: 2
  • Las Vegas Raiders: 2
  • Detroit Lions: 1
  • Green Bay Packers: 1
  • Los Angeles Rams: 1
  • Minnesota Vikings: 1
  • New York Giants: 1

* = special compensatory selection

Raiders To Sign RB Raheem Mostert

March 13th, 2025 at 12:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite going into an age-33 season, Raheem Mostert will secure another chance. The speedy running back is joining the Raiders, according to Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz. It is a one-year deal.

Although Mostert will turn 33 in April, his late start to RB1 duty has helped him extend his career. Despite making his NFL debut in 2015, Mostert only has 759 carries on his resume. Almost all of them have come in the past six seasons, as Mostert bounced around the league as a special-teamer before being given ball-carrying chances in 2019.

The Dolphins dropped Mostert after three seasons, doing so two years after he led the NFL in touchdowns (21). Miami has younger backs in De’Von Achane and Jaylen Wright, but Las Vegas has some uncertainty here. After Zamir White and Alexander Mattison could not closely remind of Josh Jacobs, the team carried big questions into free agency. Mostert will attempt to be a key part of the Raiders’ backfield for at least one season.

The late-blooming RB did not enjoy an extended opportunity until the 49ers gave him work alongside Tevin Coleman in 2019, but new Raiders OC Chip Kelly was present during Mostert’s nomadic period. During his final year as Eagles HC, Kelly received personnel control in an effort that led to a Howie Roseman demotion. That regrettable Eagles decision produced a memorable 2015, but one of the lower-level moves does come into play 10 years later.

The Eagles’ 2015 UDFA class included Mostert, who was out of Philly by September (after a first Dolphins stint came during Joe Philbin‘s HC run) and off on a journey that included Ravens, Browns, Jets and Bears stops before the 49ers took a flier.

Mostert’s contract is worth $2.1MM, NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe tweets. The Purdue alum had initially joined the Dolphins for $2.13MM in 2022, but he signed two more contracts to stay in Mike McDaniel‘s system. Mostert, whose 2019 NFC championship performance (220 yards, four touchdowns) still ranks among the best playoff rushing outings ever, totaled 891 rushing yards in 2022 and posted his first 1,000-yard season (1,012) in 2023. Both seasons featured at least 4.8 yards per carry. In 2024, Achane reduced Mostert to a backup; the latter gained only 278 rushing yards in 13 games.

White is going into a contract year, while Ameer Abdullah — who joined Mostert as a 2015 rookie — joins Mattison in free agency. It should be expected the Raiders add more pieces to their backfield, but it has yet to take shape under Pete Carroll. The draft will be a place to watch, but for now, Mostert has a path to regular playing time in Vegas.

Rams To Release Cooper Kupp; Latest On WR’s Market

March 12th, 2025 at 11:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

No Cooper Kupp trade partner has emerged. The Rams are moving on via release, NFL.com’s Tom Pelisseso reports. Releasing Kupp after the start of the 2025 league year (3pm CT today) will allow for a post-June 1 designation.

This will make Kupp a first-time free agent, and although no trade materialized, Kupp will generate FA interest, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo adds. At least three teams have known interest, Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager notes. The Packers should be a team to watch here, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets, mentioning the Seahawks and Titans as potential fits as well. The Raiders would also be interested, per The Athletic’s Tashan Reed, though they do not appear willing to make this move without a notable discount.

Kupp will join a host of accomplished early-30-something WRs in free agency. Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper and Tyler Lockett are also available. None put together a season quite like what Kupp did in 2021, though his injuries since will limit his market. Kupp’s availability also stands to affect the above-referenced wideouts’ markets, as it is becoming crowded at receiver in free agency. Diontae Johnson joins this cast, but the veteran starter’s complicated 2024 has tanked his stock.

The Rams will be on the hook for a $5MM Kupp salary guarantee this year and prorated signing bonus money in 2025 and ’26. They will, however, avoid a $7.5MM roster bonus by moving on now. Kupp was due a $12.5MM base salary in 2025. The Rams can split the $22.26MM dead money bill over two offseasons with a post-June 1 designation. That expected move will create $15MM in 2025 cap savings.

Kupp, 31, said Sean McVay told him he would be traded shortly after the season. The former triple-crown winner made the Rams’ intentions public, indicating he was out after eight seasons. Although the Rams were willing to eat salary in a trade, teams waited them out and will determine FA proposals. Les Snead said Kupp’s $7.5MM bonus, which was due in a few days, served as the deadline for a decision and never made it sound like a ninth season together was in the cards.

Between the time the Rams informed Kupp he would be out of the picture soon and the actual release transpiring, the team signed Davante Adams. The three-time All-Pro will step in alongside Puka Nacua. The Rams’ Adams contract only brings 2025 guarantees, as a 2026 cut with a bit of dead money attached would be in play if that does not prove a it. Adams, however, has stayed much healthier than Kupp and has shown more consistency as a high-end receiver — even if Kupp has produced this decade’s best WR season.

The former third-round pick out of Division I-FCS Eastern Washington, Kupp made the closest push to Calvin Johnson‘s single-season receiving record. He paired 145 receptions and 16 touchdowns with the 1,947 passing yards. Kupp also trails only 2008 Larry Fitzgerald for yards in a single playoffs, having totaled 478 and six TDs — including a Super Bowl LVI game-winner — to help the Rams to a title. Significant injury trouble intervened in the years that followed, as ankle and hamstring maladies kept him off the field for 18 games over the past three seasons.

The Rams had given Kupp two extensions, with the second coming less than two years after the first. Kupp agreed to a three-year, $47.25MM extension in 2020 — after he had bounced back from a 2018 ACL tear with a 1,000-yard 2019 — and he inked a three-year, $80.1MM deal months after Super Bowl LVI.

Kupp ultimately could not deliver on the second payday, though he still showed he has starter-level form in his tank. He posted 710 receiving yards and six TDs in 12 games last season, though the team did not turn to him much down the stretch. We will soon find out how other clubs value him, especially on a crowded market.

Raiders To Sign CB Eric Stokes

March 11th, 2025 at 6:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

Eric Stokes battled injuries for much of his Packers tenure, but the veteran cornerback is a former first-round pick who has made 32 NFL starts. The Raiders will see if he can recapture the form that intrigued front offices out of the draft.

The Raiders are adding Stokes on a one-year contract, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. A day after the Packers poached Nate Hobbs on a top-market slot deal, the Raiders will bring in Stokes for $4MM.

Although injuries dogged Stokes in 2022 and ’23, he did suit up every Packers game last season. Stokes did not last the season as a starter, being removed from the lineup after five games, and he did not reenter the first-string mix when Jaire Alexander went down.

Still, Stokes brings elite speed, having run a 4.25-second 40-yard dash before the 2021 draft, and will be joining a Pete Carroll secondary. The accomplished coach coaxed many Seahawks cover men to success, with D.J. Reed, Shaquill Griffin and Riq Woolen faring well in Carroll’s system after Richard Sherman ascended to the All-Pro level.

Stokes, 26, has a ways to go before even being deemed a reliable starter, let alone a success story. But he will attempt to use the Raiders as a way to elevate his stock after a Wisconsin nosedive. A Lisfranc injury halted Stokes’ early-career progress midway through the 2022 season, and hamstring trouble ruined his 2023 slate. Stokes said last year overcompensation from the foot issue led to the hamstring trouble. Overall, Stokes has made three trips to IR since that 2022 injury.

Pro Football Focus viewed Stokes as a promising rookie, but he graded outside the top 100 among CB regulars in 2022 before the injury. Last season, PFF placed Stokes 74th during a 588-snap season. The Packers have seen Stokes bolt and are likely to cut Jaire Alexander, whom they are shopping. Hobbs will step into a key role in Green Bay. As far as Stokes’ path, he will vie for time with Jack Jones, Jakorian Bennett and Decamerion Richardson. Stokes has primarily worked as a boundary corner, which would not make him a one-for-one Hobbs replacement.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/10/25

March 10th, 2025 at 10:41pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor NFL moves that may have been missed during an otherwise extremely busy first day of the tampering period:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Raiders To Sign LB Elandon Roberts

March 10th, 2025 at 10:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler are long gone, the Raiders are still adding former Patriot regulars. Elandon Roberts will be the latest, though he has enjoyed multiple stopovers since his Patriot Way days.

The Raiders are adding the recent Steelers starter on a one-year deal worth $3MM, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Roberts has run his career start count to 105 games. After the Patriots added Robert Spillane earlier Monday, the Raiders will bring in one of the players the Steelers used to replace him back in 2023.

While the Raiders are no longer embracing the Patriot Way model, they do have a key holdover from that period in Patrick Graham, who will now work as DC for a third head coach. Graham and Roberts’ Patriots tenures did not overlap, but the current Raiders DC coached Roberts under Brian Flores in Miami.

The Raiders were unable to retain Spillane, Tre’von Moehrig or Nate Hobbs, but they have now added Roberts and Jeremy Chinn to go along with the re-signed Malcolm Koonce and Adam Butler. The team also signed veteran DB Lonnie Johnson. In Roberts, they will add an experienced player that has remained a starter despite a few scheme shifts.

Roberts, 31 in April, comes to the Raiders after seeing his snap share reduced in Pittsburgh. The Steelers used Roberts as a 14-game starter, but he did not share the responsibilities Patrick Queen did. Roberts played only 44% of Pittsburgh’s defensive plays last season — down from 54% in 2023. Despite the reduced role, Pro Football Focus assigned the veteran as the No. 3 overall run defender among off-ball linebackers. This came as Roberts totaled five tackles for loss after he finished with 10 apiece in 2022 and ’23. Butler’s most impressive statistical season came in 2022, when he totaled 107 tackles and 4.5 sacks for the playoff-bound Dolphins.

A Bill Belichick piece on three Patriots Super Bowl teams in the late 2010s, Roberts signed three one-year contracts with the Dolphins. He played on a two-year, $7MM Steelers deal. The Raiders probably still have some work to do at linebacker, with Divine Deablo also a free agent.

Raiders To Re-Sign Malcolm Koonce

March 10th, 2025 at 3:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Malcolm Koonce represented one of the more interesting free agents in this year’s group of edge rushers. Rather than taking a deal with a new team, though, he will remain in Vegas.

Koonce has agreed to re-sign with the Raiders on a one-year deal, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. Even though he missed all of the 2024 campaign, this deal is worth $12MM. A short-term approach makes sense from the team’s perspective, but that is a notable financial commitment in the wake of Maxx Crosby‘s new deal.

The Raiders were unable retain Tre’von Moehrig, Nate Hobbs or Robert Spillane today, despite Pete Carroll expressing interest in each prior-regime investment sticking around. But the team is bringing back Koonce and Adam Butler, whom Las Vegas re-signed Sunday night. They will continue as Crosby complementary pieces.

For Koonce, this will be a “prove it” deal. The Raiders have good reason for putting Koonce to a test (albeit a well-paid one). Other than a second-half eruption in 2023, the former third-round pick does not have much to show statistically for his NFL career. But as the Raiders’ Chandler Jones signing revealed itself to be one of the decade’s worst moves, Koonce stepped up ahead of top-10 pick Tyree Wilson.

Koonce finished the 2023 season with eight sacks; the Buffalo alum compiled all those from Week 9 on. Peaking with a three-sack performance during a Raiders Christmas Day upset of the Chiefs, Koonce also added two more in the Raiders’ 63-21 romp over the Chargers — one that ultimately led Tom Telesco to Vegas. Telesco is already out as GM, and after Koonce did not have a chance to build on his 2023 season (thanks to a season-ending knee injury sustained in a late-summer practice), Carroll, John Spytek and Tom Brady will observe his 2025 progress.

Playing on a defensive front housing Crosby and Christian Wilkins‘ monster contracts, it is possible Koonce will be auditioning for a 2026 free agency bid this coming season.

Raiders To Sign Jeremy Chinn

March 10th, 2025 at 3:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders are set to lose Tre’von Moehrig, but they have moved quickly in finding another starter at the safety spot. Jeremy Chinn has an agreement in place with Vegas, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

This will be a two-year deal, Garafolo adds. Chinn will receive more than $16MM if he collects the full value of the pact. Over 75% of the contract is guaranteed at signing, making this a lucrative move for the versatile defender.

Although the Raiders were connected to keeping Moehrig or pursuing Camryn Bynum in free agency, they will end up with Chinn, who made a difference in Washington after being phased out in Carolina. Formerly the Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up who was a stat machine as versatile piece in Phil Snow’s defense, Chinn faded to a part-timer to close out Ejiro Evero’s first season running the show. But Chinn did much better in Washington.

Last season, Chinn logged 412 snaps in the box, 299 at free safety and 202 in the slot. Chinn delivered an all-around season, notching 117 tackles (a career-high seven for loss) to go with two sacks, two fumble recoveries and five pass deflections. He also mixed in a forced fumble and an interception. This did not land Chinn a big-ticket deal like Moehrig or Bynum agreed to Monday, but he still should have a chance at another free agency trip down the line.

Going into an age-27 season, Chinn is on track to start for a Raiders team that lost Moehrig and has Marcus Epps out of contract as well. He of 67 career starts (including 17 last year), the former second-round pick has three 100-tackle seasons on his resume. The Raiders, who also lost linebacker Robert Spillane, have a player in Chinn who has extensive experience in the box.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

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