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We are weeks away from the start of free agency. Which means things are going to really start to heat up as fans of every team are hoping some of the talent expected to hit the market will land on their squad.
The flip side of that is which players each team will allow to walk. The Raiders have a lot of players who are set to become free agents. The question is, however, if there's anyone they are really going to miss.
Last season they allowed a lot of valuable players leave in free agency. A few of whom were great additions to their new teams, including several who were contributors on the Patriots team that represented the AFC in the Super Bowl.
This season, the list of free agents for the Raiders isn't nearly as talent packed. In fact with NFL media's recent top 101 free agents list, only one Raiders player made the list. It is Malcolm Koonce all the way down at 89.
I don't see Koonce as being a must to re-sign with the Raiders. Sure, it might be "worth betting on a bounce-back season" but there's nothing to suggest that bet will pay off. Yeah, he emerged in the latter half of the 2023 season under interim head coach Antonio Pierce, but prior to that, he had done precisely nothing. And even after signing a lucrative one-year deal with the Raiders, no doubt hoping his performance would earn him a long term deal, he reverted to his previous form.
The Raiders most valuable free agent should be CB Eric Stokes. He was the one full time starting cornerback last season for the team. But clearly he's flying under the radar, which is surely the way the Raiders would prefer it because it would mean he is easier to re-sign. The team's new DC Rob Leonard was with the team last season, so he saw Stokes's work firsthand.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Top 101 NFL Free Agents 2026: One Raiders player makes the list
Continue reading...
The flip side of that is which players each team will allow to walk. The Raiders have a lot of players who are set to become free agents. The question is, however, if there's anyone they are really going to miss.
Last season they allowed a lot of valuable players leave in free agency. A few of whom were great additions to their new teams, including several who were contributors on the Patriots team that represented the AFC in the Super Bowl.
This season, the list of free agents for the Raiders isn't nearly as talent packed. In fact with NFL media's recent top 101 free agents list, only one Raiders player made the list. It is Malcolm Koonce all the way down at 89.
I don't see Koonce as being a must to re-sign with the Raiders. Sure, it might be "worth betting on a bounce-back season" but there's nothing to suggest that bet will pay off. Yeah, he emerged in the latter half of the 2023 season under interim head coach Antonio Pierce, but prior to that, he had done precisely nothing. And even after signing a lucrative one-year deal with the Raiders, no doubt hoping his performance would earn him a long term deal, he reverted to his previous form.
The Raiders most valuable free agent should be CB Eric Stokes. He was the one full time starting cornerback last season for the team. But clearly he's flying under the radar, which is surely the way the Raiders would prefer it because it would mean he is easier to re-sign. The team's new DC Rob Leonard was with the team last season, so he saw Stokes's work firsthand.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Top 101 NFL Free Agents 2026: One Raiders player makes the list
Continue reading...
