Free Agency thread for Raiders and league-wide

[RunOverByHubbard]

Free agency opens March 11. CBS Sports has their top 50 ranking. No Raiders on the list. I am surprised at a couple rated high - Aaron Rodgers and Daniel Jones. Lots of wide receivers

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/earl ... ng-top-50/

[chucker]

When people post information from AI, I don't bother to read it. I come here to read what people think, not what AI accumulated and spat out. A lot of what it spits out is either irrelevant or inaccurate, or both. It's a useful tool in many applications, but not this one IMO. YMMV.

[Jeevo]

When people post information from AI, I don't bother to read it. I come here to read what people think, not what AI accumulated and spat out. A lot of what it spits out is either irrelevant or inaccurate, or both. It's a useful tool in many applications, but not this one IMO. YMMV.

When it's a subjective thing AI just gives you somebody else's opinion(s) that it dug up, probably off of Reddit.

[SkullCrusher]

And this is why AI is still crap. I googled raiders 2027 free agens and this what ai told me.

Based on early 2026 transactions, the Raiders' 2027 unrestricted free agent class is headlined by high-priced 2026 acquisitions including center Tyler Linderbaum, linebacker Quay Walker, linebacker Nakobe Dean, defensive end Kwity Paye, and receiver Jalen Nailor, all of whom signed three-year deals in March 2026. Key secondary players like cornerback Eric Stokes may also be looking for extensions around that time.

Key 2027 Projected Free Agents (based on 3-year deals signed in 2026):
C Tyler Linderbaum: Signed a 3-year, $81 million deal, ranking him among the highest-paid centers.
DE Kwity Paye: Signed a 3-year, $48 million deal.
LB Quay Walker: Signed a 3-year, $40.5 million deal.
LB Nakobe Dean: Signed a 3-year, $36 million deal.
WR Jalen Nailor: Signed a 3-year, $35 million deal.
CB Eric Stokes: Expected to be a key, high-value target for retention following his 2025 performance.
Yahoo Sports
Yahoo Sports
+1

You have to vet information as it can make whoppers.
It's sort of like autonomous-cars. Will they make mistakes? Yes.
But are they possibly better than the alternative? Perhaps.
What's the alternative? People making mistakes. Possibly more mistakes.

AI can be wrong, but humans can be to.
Vet your AI data at least that which is very important, it still saves time.

So I asked the same question (prompt) as you did and got what you showed.
I then asked for a deeper dive at the bottom, I'm going to straighten this AI out!!! :)

Without even having to do anything it completely changed the list to this:

Aidan O'Connell(QB)
Michael Mayer(TE)
Tre Tucker(WR)
Tyree Wilson(DE)
Malcolm Koonce(DE) – Signed a one-year, $11 million deal for the 2026 season.
Jeremy Chinn(S) – Signed a two-year deal in 2025.
Isaiah Pola-Mao(S) – Signed a two-year deal in 2025.
Atonio Mafi(G)
Brodric Martin(DT)
Thomas Booker IV(DT) – Re-signed on a one-year tender for 2026.
Jordan Meredith(G/C) – Re-signed on a one-year tender for 2026.
Segun Olubi(LB) – Signed a one-year contract for 2026.


Which that seems much more reasonable, but probably not 100% correct.
I love the deeper dives, I start bitching at the AI when it doesn't get it.
I totally expect someday to have harassment charges put on me for belittling the AI. :)

[Xramfan]

When people post information from AI, I don't bother to read it. I come here to read what people think, not what AI accumulated and spat out. A lot of what it spits out is either irrelevant or inaccurate, or both. It's a useful tool in many applications, but not this one IMO. YMMV.

I needed AI to explain what YMMV means

[BoJacksonRules]

It would really help if Booker takes a step this year

[SkullCrusher]

When people post information from AI, I don't bother to read it. I come here to read what people think, not what AI accumulated and spat out. A lot of what it spits out is either irrelevant or inaccurate, or both. It's a useful tool in many applications, but not this one IMO. YMMV.

PFF is an accumulation of nameless peoples opinions as well. AI is a quick consensus of others opinions, no big.

[16 to 88]

When people post information from AI, I don't bother to read it. I come here to read what people think, not what AI accumulated and spat out. A lot of what it spits out is either irrelevant or inaccurate, or both. It's a useful tool in many applications, but not this one IMO. YMMV.

Regarding GPT it also lies.

As an amateur magician I have asked it several questions regarding magic that pretty much only magicians would know and not something available on the web. Instead of spit out... I don't know or I don't have any information on that, it has repeatedly told me something that was wrong and when I correct it, it will state, "oh yes, I thought you were talking about this" in an attempt to cover up that it didn't have the correct answer. I also once asked it where I can find the best deal for some handgun ammo, what a rabbit hole that was. It won't tell you because it is programmed that is a bad thing to do and it's not allowed to do so. SMH.

[rich72]

We should get DJ Reader for our NT, then we would be looking pretty good going into the draft.

[Sold My Soul]

Las Vegas Raiders: A-

Buffalo Bills trade CB Taron Johnson to Las Vegas Raiders

2025 PFF Grade: 57.9
2025 PFF WAR: 0.14
Raiders PFF Deal Grade: Above Average
Bills PFF Deal Grade: Average

Johnson, who was expected to be released, winds up being traded to the Raiders in a deal that involves a sixth- and seventh-round pick swap. While he hasn't matched his peak play from 2021 to 2023 recently, Johnson is still a capable starter in the slot. He earned a 63.7 PFF coverage grade in 2025. The Raiders can handle his cap hits of $8.7 and $10 million over the next two seasons. For the Bills, it's a marginal draft capital gain for a player whom they were going to release anyway, so they at least get something in the move.

CB Eric Stokes re-signs with Las Vegas Raiders

2025 PFF Grade: 73.6
2025 PFF WAR: 0.43
Contract: 3 years, $30 million
PFF Projected Contract: 2 years, $14 million
PFF Deal Grade: Average

Stokes enjoyed a career revival after arriving in Las Vegas on a one-year deal ahead of the 2025 season, setting career highs in snaps and PFF overall grade. He earned a 73.5 PFF coverage grade in 2025 after allowing catches on just 56.0% of the passes into his coverage. The deal is perhaps a little rich, but the Raiders reward a player who has recently impressed.

C Tyler Linderbaum signs with Las Vegas Raiders

2025 PFF Grade: 80.2
2025 PFF WAR: 0.29
Contract: 3 years, $81 million
PFF Contract Projection: 4 years, $80 million
PFF Deal Grade: Average

The player makes this an excellent signing, but the contract raises eyebrows. Linderbaum will play on the largest per-year deal of any interior offensive lineman. He has earned PFF run-blocking grades above 80.0 in three of his four NFL seasons and is one of the best in the league in that regard. He has earned a PFF pass-blocking grade above 65.0 just once in his career, though, which is concerning since his per-year average would rank fifth among offensive tackles.

WR Jalen Nailor signs with Las Vegas Raiders

2025 PFF Grade: 66.3
2025 PFF WAR: 0.24
Contract: 3 years, $35 million
PFF Projected Contract: 1 year, $3.5 million
PFF Deal Grade: Below Average

Nailor should infuse juice into the Raiders’ receiving corps after producing a 67.1 PFF receiving grade and dropping just one of his 49 targets. However, this is an extremely rich deal for a player who has averaged 1.18 yards per route run in his career.

EDGE Kwity Paye signs with Las Vegas Raiders

2025 PFF Grade: 59.0
2025 PFF WAR: -0.07
Contract: 3 years, $48 million
PFF Projected Contract: 2 years, $20 million
PFF Deal Grade: Below Average

At 27 years old, Paye still has time to develop, but he is coming off a season that saw him produce career lows in PFF overall grade and sacks. While he has earned a 65.0-plus PFF run-defense grade in four straight seasons, $16 million per year for an edge defender who doesn't offer much consistently as a pass rusher is a bit strong.

EDGE Malcolm Koonce re-signs with Las Vegas Raiders

2025 PFF Grade: 59.1
2025 PFF WAR: 0.01
Contract: 1 year, $11 million
PFF Projected Contract: 1 year, $6 million
PFF Deal Grade: Average

Koonce struggled in 2025, earning a 59.1 PFF grade and racking up 35 total pressures from 331 pass-rushing snaps, but he was coming back from an ACL injury that caused him to miss all of 2024. He was much better in 2023, racking up 52 pressures from 344 pass-rushing snaps. If he can get back to that form now that he is another year removed from the injury, the Raiders will be happy with this deal.

LB Quay Walker signs with Las Vegas Raiders

2025 PFF Grade: 46.0
2025 PFF WAR: -0.02
Contract: 3 years, $40.5 million
PFF Projected Contract: 3 years, $45 million
PFF Deal Grade: Below Average

Walker has been in the NFL for four seasons now, and has earned PFF grades below 60.0 in all four of those years. He's coming off a season that saw him earn a 40.9 PFF coverage grade that was tied for 11th worst among linebackers, and it's tough to square that level of performance with this contract. On the plus side, he is one of the better tacklers in the NFL, ranking 9th at the position with a 6.7% missed tackle rate last season.

LB Nakobe Dean signs with Las Vegas Raiders

2025 PFF Grade: 62.2
2025 PFF WAR: 0.05
Contract: 3 years, $36 million
PFF Projected Contract: 3 years, $41 million
PFF Deal Grade: Good

Dean struggled coming off an injury in 2025, but his 2024 performance is right in line with a deal of this value. While he is just solid in coverage, with 62.4 and 62.6 PFF coverage grades in each of the past two seasons, he is at his best as a run defender, earning an 82.5 PFF run defense grade in 2024. He's also a useful blitzer, racking up 26 pressures from 101 pass-rushing snaps over the past two seasons.

Las Vegas Raiders trade QB Geno Smith to New York Jets

2025 PFF Grade: 60.9
2025 PFF WAR: 0.82
Jets Deal Grade: Average
Raiders Deal Grade: Average

The Jets make their move at quarterback, bringing Geno Smith home after four seasons with the team from 2013 to 2016. Smith had a rough year in 2025, posting a 4.1% turnover-worthy play rate that was significantly higher than his 3.0% big-time throw rate. But his four seasons with the Seahawks from 2021 to 2024 would be an upgrade for New York compared with what it had in 2025.

[Southshield]

[GoodTimeCharlie]

Curious what are overall age is now, was before FA, and is after the draft.

[Raidernation1979]

To start the 2025 season we were 12th at 26.11 years

[Attyla]

age will go down after the draft and then go up to start the season, happens to most teams every year

[RI RAIDER]

I think the # of starters who are on rookie contracts is far more valuable. Hopefully that goes up by at least 3.

[mstrbass2000]

PFF is an accumulation of nameless peoples opinions as well. AI is a quick consensus of others opinions, no big.

agree ai is an accumulation of facts and opinions filtered down to a consensus answer