The Las Vegas Raiders defense has played well over the last two seasons but could have to undergo some major changes thanks to free agency. Key starters like Marcus Epps, Robert Spillane, Nate Hobbs, Malcolm Koone, Divine Deablo and Tre’von Moehrig are all free agents.
The Raiders should be able to keep some of those players but it will be difficult to re-sign all of them. The hardest to keep will likely be Moehrig.
The former second-round pick came into his own in recent years and is now one of the best safeties in the NFL. If the Raiders want to keep him, it’s not going to be cheap. That could open up the chance for another team to swoop in and sign him.
Marcus Mosher of The 33rd Team believes the Denver Broncos could sign Moehrig to a three-year, $45 million contract.
“The Denver Broncos have to find a better safety option than P.J. Locke this offseason, and they could do so by signing someone away from the Raiders,” Mosher wrote in a Feb. 4 column. “Tre’Von Moehrig has been an incredibly durable and reliable player in Las Vegas during the last four seasons.
“While he isn’t overly dynamic, he can play all over the defense and is an ascending player. Adding him to Vance Joseph’s defense would
give Denver the best secondary in the league.”
Raiders May Be Able to Afford $15 Million a Year on Moehrig
At $15 million a season, Moehrig wouldn’t be one of the five highest-paid safeties in the NFL. He’s also only 25 and an ascending player. The Raiders may be able to stomach that contract, especially to keep him away from a team like the Broncos.
Las Vegas is projected to have more than $100 million in salary cap space so they can afford him. Patrick Graham is coming back as defensive coordinator and he could push to re-sign Moehrig. Head coach Pete Carroll had great safety play during his best years with the Seattle Seahawks so it’s easy to see him getting on board with keeping Moehrig.
Quarterback Could Determine Raiders Spending
The Raiders do have a lot of money to work with but they also have a need at quarterback. There have been rumors linking the team to Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, who is set to hit free agency.
If the Raiders were to sign him, it’s going to cost a lot of money and likely eat a large portion of that salary cap space. That would almost certainly mean that a player like Moehrig is going elsewhere.
Now, if the Raiders go after a cheaper option in free agency and then draft a quarterback early, they’ll have much more money to spend on other positions. What they decide to do will have pretty big ramifications in free agency.
While the Raiders’ roster talent is underrated, they do need a lot of pieces before they’ll be ready to make a run at the playoffs. Safeties aren’t as important as they once were so general manager John Spytek may also rather spend that money to build up other position groups.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Raiders at Risk of Losing Key Starter to AFC West Rival on $45 Million Contract appeared first on Heavy Sports.