NFL free agency is only a month away. Starting March 10, teams can negotiate with players ahead of the official new league year, which begins on March 12. Teams like the Las Vegas Raiders that are flushed with cap space can pursue some of the biggest names on the open market.
With that said, the Raiders shouldn’t be concerned with “winning free agency.” They need to focus on how to build a winning roster, whether that entails retaining impending free agents or making smaller moves to fill out the depth chart.
Now that the 2025 offseason is in full swing, let’s look at six moves the Raiders must make in free agency to climb out of the AFC West gutter and compete with the playoff teams within their division.
Make an aggressive offer to guard Trey Smith
Because of recency bias, skeptics will be quick to point out that Smith had a rough Super Bowl outing against the Philadelphia Eagles defensive line. Yet the same can be said about the Kansas City Chiefs offensive line as a unit
Smith’s lousy night doesn’t erase the merits of his 2024 Pro Bowl campaign. According to Pro Football Focus, the Chiefs guard didn’t allow a sack until Super Bowl LIX. In fact, Smith has played 3,892 snaps and allowed just five sacks over the last three seasons, per PFF.
Smith is one of the league’s better pass-blocking guards. At 25 years old, he has room to develop into an elite player. The Raiders can plug him into the offensive line group alongside Jackson Powers-Johnson and Dylan Parham, who has one year left on his contract. Las Vegas’ quarterbacks took 49 sacks this past season. The offensive line needs another quality pass protector.
Make a strong offer for Justin Fields if Vikings re-sign Sam Darnold
ESPN’s Adam Schefter believes the Raiders “will make a play” for Sam Darnold. Of course, there are other moving parts to Schefter’s prediction. Remember, the Vikings can franchise-tag Darnold, keeping him off the free-agent market. Moreover, Darnold may have multiple offers on the table.
