Mailbag: Would Brady & Spytek approve of signing Wilson?

We’ve heard all the reports and rumors over the past month or so, and we’re finally about to get some answers about the Las Vegas Raiders since free agency begins on Monday morning. With that, free agency is the focus for this week’s mailbag, so let’s get to it!

Q: What’s the long-term plan at quarterback after the trade for Geno Smith?

A: Admittedly, I had to do some back-tracking with the column since this news broke on Friday afternoon, making about half of your questions irrelevant, lol! That’s life covering the Raiders, always keeping me on my toes, especially this time of year. So, this question wasn’t asked but obviously becomes relevant.

For some initial thoughts, adding Smith for a third-round pick gives the team a solid bridge quarterback. I think Smith is better than some may think and has a better track record than Sam Darnold. However, the 34-year-old who turns 35 in October and is entering a contract year clearly isn’t the long-term solution in Vegas.

The Raiders are reportedly going to give Smith a new contract worth $40-$45 million a year, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, but I can’t imagine it’d be more than a two-year deal. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if the organization still looks into this year’s draft class and adds one of the developmental QB3 contenders. Jalen Milroe, Jaxson Dart and Will Howard come to mind as logical options.

Granted, trying their luck in next year’s draft is an option too, as Smith is certainly more of a temporary option as Pete Carroll attempts to “win now”.

A: We’re thinking along the same lines here. This was a big reason why I didn’t want to see the Raiders trade/give up a first- or second-round pick for Matthew Stafford. Some people might argue that the Washington Commanders went 4-13 and turned it around to make a Conference Title Game the following season.

But the Commanders used free agency to improve the roster and the No. 2 overall pick on Jayden Daniels at quarterback. So, if the Raiders are going to use that equation, Spytek should spend a ton of money in free agency to fill holes and then trade up for Cam Ward since he wouldn’t need as many draft picks to address other immediate needs.

Adding Smith makes the Raiders more competitive, but I still think there are too many question marks to expect a legitimate Super Bowl run.

Q: Will both Pete and Spytek be evaluating the Raiders’ current players? I’m thinking of a guy like Amari Gainer who, I think with good coaching, could be a terrific linebacker. What is your opinion of him?

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

A: Yes, they’ve both have definitely been evaluating and collaborating on the current roster to get on the same page since they were hired. Building on the relationship note above, Spytek will have the final say on the roster, but the best and most successful general manager and head coach relationships are collaborative. It’s the coach’s job to tell the GM what type of players he wants and the GM’s job is to find them and decide who best fits that vision. That includes who is already under contract.

I like what Gainer showed in the preseason and think he has the potential to become a quality starting linebacker. He just needs to prove it on a bigger sample size, but I would assume Gainer is someone Las Vegas plans on continuing to develop, especially since Patrick Graham can vouch for him.

Q: What do you think of the idea of going after Ronnie Stanley from the Ravens to play LT, move Kolton Miller to right tackle where he played in college (might prolong his career), move D.J. Glaze to RG where he has played and might be more effective? Could be strong line from left to right: Stanley, Meredith, Powers, Glaze and Miller.

A: I think Stanley is a good player, but I’d rather see the front office spend money elsewhere. He turns 31 next week and battled injuries from 2020 to 2023, missing 37 games during that span. So, I don’t think using cap space on an older left tackle who has been banged up would be a good use of funds.

Since Miller is entering a contract year next season, I’m not that concerned about extending his career. Also, when a lineman spends their entire career on one side, asking them to switch can make them more susceptible to injuries. That’s what happened to Donald Penn when Miller was drafted. Plus, I thought Glaze was a solid right tackle as a rookie, so I’d keep him there. Also, he only took two snaps at guard in college and only played tackle last year.

A: Chris Godwin is up there as he’s one of the best players available and I would be pretty excited if Spytek reunited with Godwin. However, I think the Raiders have a bigger need at cornerback, so I’d prioritize D.J. Reed on the open market. Reed has been consistent throughout his career and would bring some much-needed veteran stability to Las Vegas’ young defensive backfield.

A: Poona Ford, defensive tackle from the Los Angeles Chargers. It hasn’t published at the time of writing, but a film room piece on Ford will be up by Friday afternoon. He’s an impressive run defender who would be an upgrade over John Jenkins, who is also a free agent. Ford has ties to Carroll, having played in Seattle during the first five years of his career (2018-2022).

Q: Why are so many experts so negative about the Raiders’ roster (e.g. holes everywhere)? Then, out of the other side of their mouths, they talk about all of the quality free agents we cannot afford to lose and that it will be difficult to keep them all. Isn’t that quite the contradiction?

A: I don’t see that as contradictory. Part of the reason why people say the roster has holes is because of the key free agents. Come Wednesday, those guys aren’t on the roster anymore and the team will need to add several starters, especially on defense.

If the Raiders don’t re-sign guys like Tre’von Moehrig, Malcolm Koonce, Robert Spillane and Nate Hobbs, then they’ll need to add a starting-caliber safety, defensive end, linebacker and nickel corner. That’s in addition to improving other spots like cornerback, addressing needs on offense and replacing other impending free agents like Marcus Epps and Divine Deablo.

A: Depending on if Moehrig and/or Spillane get re-signed, safety or linebacker. Right now, the defense is scheduled to lose both Week 1 starters at those positions. So, the front office should be heavily active at safety and linebacker in both free agency and the draft if neither are retained. If Moehrig and Spillane get re-signed, I’d shift toward adding a veteran corner.

A: The return likely won’t be high, but I’d assume Spytek is going to try and trade Dylan Parham after signing Alex Cappa. Parham is entering a contract year and hasn’t been much more than average over the last three years, so I could see the general manager just taking what he can get for the former third-round pick.

I say that because it likely means the plan is for Cappa to be a starter this season. There’s no denying that last season was ugly for him, giving up the most sacks (eight) and pressures (51) among guards, per Pro Football Focus. However, he also had the second-most snaps in pass protection (774) at the position since the Bengals were constantly playing from behind.

Cappa has been good for the majority of his career, and Spytek and Brady should know him well going back to their days in Tampa together. So, the team’s brass is clearly chalking last season up to the seven-year pro just having a down year and feel he’ll return to his previous form.

A: Over The Cap has the Raiders at about $80.8 million in cap space with the roster as is (third-most in the NFL) and roughly $74.0 million in effective cap space (fifth-most). I wouldn’t worry about in-season signings too much. Those guys are cheap and should only cost a few million, meaning a $5 million cushion on the high end.

A: I’ll take my chances with the young guy and see if he can revive his career in Las Vegas like K’Lavon Chaisson did this past season. Carroll would probably do the opposite though as that’s the safer route to “win now”.

That’ll do it for this week’s mailbag. Thank you all for submitting questions and, as your weekly reminder, if you’d like to have your questions answered in a future column, tweet them at me, @MHolder95, email them to [email protected] or look for our weekly call for questions on the site. The latter will continue to publish on Thursdays.