Beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday, NFL teams are permitted to negotiate contracts for players set to become unrestricted free agents. There will be agreements reached during the two-day negotiating period ahead of the new league year when contracts can be signed.
Expect the Las Vegas Raiders to be right in the thick of it. They already had plenty of salary cap space to use in free agency, and that amount only grew once defensive end Maxx Crosby was traded to the Baltimore Ravens and quarterback Geno Smith was informed of his impendingrelease. With upwards of $110 million in cap space, this should be a busy period for the Raiders.
Follow free agency here as it happens live:
Raiders retain Stokes
Cornerback Eric Stokes is back with the Raiders after agreeing to terms on a three-year, $30 million contract with $20 million guaranteed.
It’s a payday for Stokes, who started 16 games after joining the Raiders last year on a one-year, $4 million deal.
Kelce expected to remain with Chiefs
Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs are working on likely a one-year deal that would bring the star tight end back for a 14th season, NFL insider Albert Breer reported. Rather than testing free agency or retiring, the 36-year-old Kelce would rejoin Patrick Mahomes & Co.
Brady’s flag football event moves to LA
The Fanatics Flag Football Classic, where Raiders minority owner Tom Brady is expected to return to the field March 21, is moving to BMO Stadium in Los Angeles after previously being scheduled to be played in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Instability in the Middle East led to the move, and the refreshed edition of the event includes some new NFL participants announced.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts joins Brady as the co-captain of one team while Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow joins Jayden Daniels as co-captain of the other team. Tennessee Titans coach Robert Saleh will serve as a defensive specialist for both teams. Raiders tight end Brock Bowers and outgoing defensive end Maxx Crosby were previously announced as participants and weren’t specifically mentioned in the latest announcement.
Raiders’ needs
Coming off a 3-14 season, the Raiders need a lot of help as their rebuild begins following the Crosby trade.
On defense, the team could make a splash at edge rusher to replace some of that production. Already, general manager John Spytek has traded for cornerback Taron Johnson just as the Buffalo Bills were set to release the former All-Pro.
Meanwhile, the offensiveline is expected to be an area the Raiders invest in after a difficult season as they look to support would-be rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
Overall, they’ll look to spend wisely on an infusion of talent for new head coach Klint Kubiak.
Contact Diamond Leung at dleung@reviewjournal.com. Follow @diamond83 on X.