Raiders To Re-Sign DL Malcolm Koonce
Malcolm Koonce is sticking in Las Vegas. The free agent defensive end is re-signing with the Raiders, according to Josina Anderson.
The 2021 third-round pick is signing a new one-year contract, per Anderson. The deal is worth $11MM.
Koonce is inking a one-year deal for the second-straight offseason. Last year, he re-upped with the Raiders on a $12MM contract. After missing the entire 2024 season thanks to a knee injury, he bounced back in 2025 with 30 tackles and 4.5 sacks. For his efforts, Pro Football Focus graded him 83rd among 119 qualifying edge defenders.
Koonce graded much better during his last healthy season in 2023. That breakout campaign saw the pass rusher compile eight sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and 17 QB hits, earning him a 22nd-place showing by PFF. He had a standout performance during a Week 16 win over the Chiefs, when he tallied eight pressures and three sacks on Patrick Mahomes.
The Raiders have been busy adding to their defense today, signing the likes of Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker, and Kwity Paye. Still, with the departure of pass rusher Maxx Crosby, Koonce could once again find himself playing a significant role on the Raiders defense in 2026.
Raiders, LB Nakobe Dean Agree To Deal
The Raiders‘ spending spree continues with a linebacker addition. With Las Vegas needing to retool at this position, Nakobe Dean will be asked to be a core performer.
Dean is joining the Raiders on a three-year deal worth $36MM, veteran insider Jordan Schultz tweets. Despite injuries hampering him regularly in Philly, the former third-round pick will score a $12MM AAV. Though, guarantees will be particularly notable on this pact.
Vegas is loading up at linebacker, with Dean being the B-side addition. The team just agreed to terms with Quay Walker as well. This has been a busy day for the AFC West team, which headlined its work with a record-obliterating Tyler Linderbaum contract.
Entering today with more than $120MM in cap space, the Raiders have joined the Titans on a spending spree. The team had no notable holdovers at linebacker, and the Walker-Dean tandem looks set to be the next options under Klint Kubiak. The Cowboys were believed to be eyeing Dean to follow new DC Christian Parker from Philly, but the Raiders had the cap space to outmuscle anyone today. They’re throwing weight around.
Dallas did make a strong push for Dean, according to NFL.com’s Jane Slater. Dean was believed to be on the fence here, with Slater indicating the Cowboys made a good offer. Neither Texas nor Nevada carry a state income tax, but Dean decided to go with the rebuilding Raiders rather than working under Parker — Philly’s DBs coach last season — in Dallas.
Dean essentially redshirted his rookie year, seeing Kyzir White and T.J. Edwards start for the Eagles’ Super Bowl LVII team. Philly gave Dean a starting job in 2023, but foot trouble limited him to five games. A resurgence in 2024 helped the Eagles to the NFC East title and the conference’s No. 2 seed, but a patellar tendon tear in the wild-card round brought another setback. Dean did not debut until Week 6 of this past season, making it a bit surprising the Raiders are signing off on a $12MM-per-year deal.
The Raiders, who lost Robert Spillane in free agency last year, have Devin White, Elandon Roberts and Jamal Adams unsigned. Despite promoting from within at DC (Rob Leonard), Las Vegas is importing some bigger names at LB this offseason.
Raiders To Sign LB Quay Walker
The Raiders are making a major addition to the middle of their defense. They have agreed to a deal with linebacker Quay Walker, Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network report. Walker will sign a four-year, $40.5MM contract with $28MM in guarantees, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The Cowboys were among the teams in the mix for Walker before he reached an agreement with the Raiders, Todd Archer of ESPN relays. Walker had a Zoom meeting with the Cowboys on Monday, but they could not fend off the Raiders for the 25-year-old.
Walker, the 22nd pick in the 2022 draft, served as a full-time starter in Green Bay throughout his four-year run there. The former Georgia Bulldog opened his career with three straight 100-tackle seasons, during which he combined for 6.5 sacks. The Packers still declined Walker’s fifth-year option for 2026 last spring, though it did not come as a surprise. The league controversially groups middle and outside LBs together for valuation purposes. Teams typically turn down the option for middle linebackers, as the Jaguars (Devin Lloyd) also did last year.
Playing what proved to be his last Packers season in 2025, Walker collected a career-high 128 tackles in 14 games. He added eight TFL, a personal-best seven QB hits, five passes defensed and 2.5 sacks. Despite quality production, Pro Football Focus took a harsh view of Walker’s 2025 in ranking his performance 76th among 88 qualifiers at his position.
In heading to Las Vegas, Walker will reunite with former Georgia teammate Nakobe Dean. After spending his first four seasons in Philadelphia, Dean agreed to a three-year, $36MM pact with the Raiders on Monday. Walker and Dean starred in college as part of Georgia’s linebacker corps, especially during a national title-winning campaign in 2021. They will reunite in a remade Raiders LB group. Devin White, Elandon Roberts and Jamal Adams were Las Vegas’ top LBs last year, but all three are now unsigned.
While the Raiders traded superstar pass rusher Maxx Crosby to the Ravens last week, they have since made several noteworthy investments to improve a roster that finished last in 2025. Before bringing in Walker and Dean, the Raiders acquired nickel cornerback Taron Johnson from the Bills, re-signed corner Eric Stokes, and reached free agent agreements with center Tyler Linderbaum, defensive end Kwity Paye and receiver Jalen Nailor.
Raiders, DE Kwity Paye Agree To Deal
Not long after agreeing to trade away Maxx Crosby, the Raiders have lined up a notable replacement along the edge. Kwity Paye is heading to Vegas.
Paye worked out a Raiders deal on Monday, Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network report. This will be a three-year pact worth $48MM, NFL insider Jordan Schultz adds. Paye represents the second big-ticket addition for the team today, with center Tyler Linderbaum having also worked out a massive free agent deal.
This has been a big day for edge rushers, with Jaelan Phillips, Odafe Oweh and Boye Mafe agreeing to deals (with the Panthers, Commanders and Bengals) earlier today. Paye’s contract checks in south of those three, who respectively scored $30MM, $25MM and $20MM per year. But the five-year Colt still did quite well. His 3/48 framework matches what the Bears gave ex-Indianapolis teammate Dayo Odeyingbo last year.
Slotted behind the Phillips-Oweh-Mafe trio in PFR’s top 50 (at No. 19), Paye is coming off an unremarkable contract year. But the former first-round pick fared much better in Gus Bradley‘s defense from 2023-24. Paye combined for 16.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss in those seasons. His Michigan ties probably don’t hurt here, either, with Raider decision-makers Tom Brady and John Spytek being ex-Wolverines.
Last season, however, Paye only registered four sacks and nine QB hits. But he was still an active pressure artist. Paye’s 23 pressures in 2025 were a career high, and he only trailed Oweh by one in that category. Considering Paye’s better sack work in the past, the Raiders will make a midlevel ($16MM suddenly qualifies as such) bet on the power-based rusher having superior production ahead.
Paye, 27, will not remind Raiders fans closely of Crosby. The team, which looks to have missed on 2023 first-round pick Tyree Wilson, also has Malcolm Koonce unsigned. Las Vegas is effectively starting over in terms of pass rush, as the team memorably cut high-priced D-tackle Christian Wilkins in 2025.
The Colts have now lost Paye and Odeyingbo in consecutive offseasons, and Samson Ebukam and Tyquan Lewis are also UFAs. The Colts have Laiatu Latu in place as Lou Anarumo’s top edge rusher, with DeForest Buckner still anchoring the team’s D-line. But Indy may need another piece after losing a five-year starter.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Raiders To Add WR Jalen Nailor
The Vikings are losing another of their Justin Jefferson-era No. 3 wideouts. With Jefferson and Jordan Addison in place, Minnesota will see Jalen Nailor leave in free agency.
Nailor has fared much better on the open market than K.J. Osborn did, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting the four-year Viking agreed to a three-year, $35MM deal with the Raiders. Nailor secured $23MM guaranteed on this accord.
Commandeering the final spot on PFR’s top 50 free agents list, Nailor does not have a 500-yard receiving season on his resume. But a view around the league pointed to upside existing for the young slot receiver. Nailor, who turned 27 this month, will team with Tre Tucker on a Raiders roster that had traded its No. 1 wideout (Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers) in consecutive years.
The Raiders also did not see strong early returns from 2025 draftees Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton. Nailor’s contract will send him into Las Vegas’ starting lineup, which is likely to be fronted by No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza. While Mendoza will have Brock Bowers in place as a lead target, Nailor represents an interesting option at receiver.
Nailor has differentiated himself from a pure slot skillset with impressive yards-per-catch figures (14.8, 15.3) over the past two seasons. He has undoubtedly benefited from playing with Jefferson, but per ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano, coaching staffs are high on the former sixth-round pick. The Raiders, who are set to win the Tyler Linderbaum market, are doing work to give Mendoza a better foundation than Geno Smith enjoyed last season.
The Vikings had not discussed an extension with Nailor as of December, and they have a $35MM-per-year Jefferson deal to go with a high-level T.J. Hockenson TE accord on their payroll. Addison can be kept through 2027 via the fifth-year option, and Minnesota added Tai Felton on Day 2 of last year’s draft.
Raiders To Re-Sign Eric Stokes
11:13am: A deal is in place. The Raiders are keeping Stokes, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who reports the sixth-year corner is back onboard via a three-year deal worth $30MM. Of that total, Stokes will see $20MM guaranteed. This marks a massive raise from Stokes’ one-year compensation from 2025.
10:52am: The legal tampering period begins in a few minutes, opening the door for free agents-to-be testing the market. With other offers on tap, Eric Stokes is receiving internal interest before the final bell of Raiders exclusive negotiation rights.
Las Vegas is making a push to re-sign the veteran cornerback, CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reports. The former Packers first-round pick completed a bounce-back season in Vegas, avoiding injuries and working as a full-time starter. He was one of the few bright spots during a 3-14 season, likely raising his price in the process. The sides are believed to have made some progress, per Zenitz.
Stokes, who battled injuries for most of his Green Bay stay, started 16 games under Pete Carroll and saw Pro Football Focus assign him a 20th-place overall ranking among corners. The speedy former first-rounder will almost definitely command a deal well north of his one-year, $3.5MM terms from 2025. The Raiders, after the Maxx Crosby trade, lead the NFL in cap space and need to do work to reach the salary floor (measured over a three-year period). Stokes could be one of the beneficiaries.
The 16 starts brought a career-high mark for Stokes, who missed 14 games in 2023 after suffering a season-ending injury midway through the 2022 season. Foot and hamstring trouble were the primary impediments for Stokes in Green Bay, and the Packers did not use him as a primary starter in Jeff Hafley’s 2024 DC debut. The Raiders were light on cornerbacks after letting Nate Hobbs join the Packers in free agency, but Stokes gave them a locked-in answer — as just about everything else on the roster fell apart.
It will be interesting to see what Stokes will command — from the Raiders or another team — as a second-time free agent. Even if Stokes re-signs, the Raiders have more work to do at corner as a new DC (Rob Leonard) takes over.
Raiders To Acquire CB Taron Johnson
The Raiders are involved in their second trade before the start of free agency. They have acquired cornerback Taron Johnson from the Bills in a late-round pick swap, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The Bills will receive a sixth-rounder, and the Raiders will add a seventh-rounder, per Vincent Bonsignore of the California Post.
It had initially been reported that the Bills would release Johson, but the Raiders will prevent him from hitting the open market. Meanwhile, Buffalo will get some value out of his departure.
This will officially end Johnson’s eight-year tenure in Buffalo, which selected him in the fourth round of the 2018 draft. The Weber State product played for head coach Sean McDermott during his entire run in Western New York.
Johnson generally thrived under McDermott during his first six seasons, leading general manager Brandon Beane to hand the defender a three-year, $31MM extension in March 2024. The agreement temporarily made Johnson the highest-paid slot corner in the league, but injuries have contributed to a drop in performance since he earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2023.
Johnson has totaled nine absences since 2024, including four last year. Across 13 games and eight starts in 2025, Johnson picked up 57 tackles and four passes defensed. Pro Football Focus ranked his play 74th among 112 qualifying corners.
The Bills fired McDermott in January and promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady as their new head coach. Brady brought in an outside defensive coordinator, Jim Leonhard, to overhaul the unit. That left Johnson’s future up in the air. Shifting the longtime nickel corner to safety was under consideration, but the Bills elected to cut ties with Johnson instead.
The Raiders weakened their defense in the short term when they agreed to ship superstar pass rusher Maxx Crosby to the Ravens on Thursday. Nevertheless, the team has ample cap space and draft capital to upgrade the rest of its roster. The Raiders and new defensive coordinator Rob Leonard will count on Johnson to help improve their slot corner situation. If Johnson doesn’t rebound in 2026, the Raiders would save $10.04MM in releasing him while taking on no dead money next offseason. That makes Johnson a worthwhile flier for a Las Vegas team with a slew of needs to address.
Connor Byrne contributed to this post.
2026 NFL Trades
The modern NFL features four clear trade windows. Early March, the draft, the late-August 53-man roster-setting date and the November deadline reside as the primary points trades occur around the league. As the NFL resides in window No. 1 for 2026, it is a good time to check in on what has already transpired on the market.
Excluding pick-for-pick trades, here are the moves NFL teams have made thus far in 2026:
February 26
- Titans trade DT T’Vondre Sweat to Jets for DE Jermaine Johnson
March 2
- Browns to acquire OL Tytus Howard from Texans for No. 141
- Texans to obtain RB David Montgomery from Lions for OL Juice Scruggs, No. 128, 2027 seventh-round pick
March 4
- Rams to acquire CB Trent McDuffie from Chiefs for Nos. 29, 168, 210, 2027 third-round pick
March 5
- Bills to add WR D.J. Moore, No. 165 from Bears in exchange for No. 60
March 6
- Bears to acquire C Garrett Bradbury from Patriots for 2027 fifth-round pick
- Ravens to land OLB Maxx Crosby from Raiders for No. 14, 2027 first-round pick
Ravens nixed trade March 10, failing Crosby on a physical
March 7
- Packers to add LB Zaire Franklin from Colts for DT Colby Wooden
March 8
- Raiders to obtain CB Taron Johnson, No. 228 from Bills for No. 182
March 9
- Jets to acquire S Minkah Fitzpatrick from Dolphins for No. 238
- Cowboys to land OLB Rashan Gary from Packers for 2027 fourth-round pick
- Steelers to add WR Michael Pittman Jr., No. 230 from Colts for No. 214
March 10
- Jets to acquire QB Geno Smith, No. 228 from Raiders for No. 182
- Texans to obtain P Kai Kroeger, 2028 seventh-round pick from Saints for 2028 sixth-rounder
March 11
- Titans to add DL Solomon Thomas, No. 225 from Cowboys for No. 218
- 49ers to acquire DT Osa Odighizuwa from Cowboys for No. 92
March 16
- Chiefs to acquire QB Justin Fields, 2026 seventh-round pick to Jets for 2027 sixth-rounder
March 17
- Broncos to land WR Jaylen Waddle, No. 111 from Dolphins for Nos. 30, 94, 130
March 18
- Eagles to obtain QB Andy Dalton from Panthers for 2027 seventh-round pick
Commanders Preparing Aggressive Tyler Linderbaum Run; Giants, Raiders, Titans In Mix
The Tyler Linderbaum market is expected to produce a center-record contract — probably by a decent margin. Ranked No. 1 on PFR’s top 50 free agents list, the three-time Pro Bowler is less than 24 hours from reaching free agency. Teams will be preparing big offers to lock down their snapper posts.
Should the Ravens not come in with an 11th-hour deal to keep Linderbaum off the market, veteran insider Jordan Schultz reports the Commanders are preparing an aggressive run. They will not be the only ones. The Giants, Raiders and Titans are teams to monitor here as well, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler.
As expected, Fowler points to this market easily exceeding $20MM per year. Creed Humphrey has held the top center contract (four years, $72MM) since August 2024, but with Baltimore being thus far unable to complete a deal with Linderbaum, the open market will help do the work to raise the bar and provide the NFL its first $20MM-AAV center accord.
The Ravens have offered market-topping money, but Linderbaum likely knows multiple big offers will come his way once the legal tampering period opens at 11am CT Monday. A $25MM-per-year target — which would top both the center and guard markets — has been floated as a goal for the acclaimed blocker here.
Washington just released two-year center starter Tyler Biadasz, who since duplicated his three-year, $30MM deal with the Chargers. Street free agency rarely brings such occurrences, pointing to reasonable Commanders confidence they can upgrade on Biadasz. The Bills took Connor McGovern off the market Saturday, raising the stakes a bit for Washington to bring in this market’s biggest fish.
The Giants were connected to Linderbaum not long after hiring John Harbaugh. Even though Todd Monken did not head to New York as Harbaugh preferred, the team has not seen former second-rounder John Michael Schmitz become an upper-crust center through three years. A roster-reshaping effort is coming from Big Blue’s new honcho. Holding barely $14MM in cap space, though, the Giants are well behind the other three known members in this market. New York will need to make more moves to free up funds to compete for Linderbaum.
Both the Raiders and Titans are flush with cap space and could flex their muscles soon. The Raiders’ Maxx Crosby trade moved them past $121MM in cap room, and they will be spenders soon. Las Vegas cut part-time 2025 center Alex Cappa and did not see RFA Jordan Meredith play especially well in that role either. The Titans just released two-year center Lloyd Cushenberry. While Cushenberry disappointed on a $12.5MM-per-year deal, Linderbaum brings far more consistency than the former Broncos draftee here. Fireworks will be expected soon, as a Linderbaum accord will be one of Monday’s headliners.
Colts WR Alec Pierce, Packers WR Romeo Doubs Drawing Extensive Interest; Pierce Prefers To Stay In Indy
Since the Colts have placed the transition tag on QB Daniel Jones, the only way they can keep WR Alec Pierce from speaking to interested teams when the legal tampering period opens tomorrow is by agreeing to terms on a new contract. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler expects negotiations between Pierce and Indianapolis to go down to the wire, and there are a number of clubs waiting to pounce if a deal is not consummated.
Fowler names the Patriots, Commanders, Raiders, and Titans as teams that are in the mix for Pierce. New England’s interest was noted previously, and with the club set to make Stefon Diggs a one-and-done in Foxborough, it makes sense that it wants to bring in another weapon for third-year QB (and 2025 MVP runner-up) Drake Maye.
After advancing to the NFC Championship Game in Jayden Daniels’ rookie year in 2024, the Commanders limped to a 5-12 mark last season. That was due in large part to Daniels’ health woes, which limited him to just seven games, but Washington could stand to bolster its contingent of pass-catchers. Beyond WR1 Terry McLaurin, the club has Luke McCaffrey, Treylon Burks, and 2025 fourth-rounder Jaylin Lane under contract for 2026.
That trio combined for 558 receiving yards and four TDs last year, so a player with Pierce’s abilities would be a welcome addition. Fowler hears this free agency period could be an especially active one for the Commanders, who have roughly $90MM in cap space and who are looking to capitalize on Daniels’ rookie-contract window. In addition to wide receiver, Washington is interested in upgrading at running back, cornerback, edge rusher, and possibly tight end. Fowler names the team as a “sleeper” for Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans, whom the Buccaneers are actively trying to re-sign.
The Raiders will release veteran signal-caller Geno Smith and are poised to select QB Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick in the draft. Even though Las Vegas reportedly prefers to keep Mendoza on the bench for at least the early stages of his rookie campaign, adding weapons for him will be a key goal. According to Fowler, the Raiders are also interested in Rashid Shaheed, who has a big fan in new head coach Klint Kubiak (Kubiak, of course, has worked with Shaheed in both New Orleans and Seattle). Fowler cautions that the Raiders’ bigger need is the offensive line, but the club has plenty of spending power with over $120MM in cap room.
Like the other teams mentioned in connection with Pierce, the Titans are looking to add receiving help for a young quarterback. Tennessee is hoping Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 draft, will progress quickly under the tutelage of new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, and acquiring proven pass-catchers will be key in achieving that goal (particularly with Calvin Ridley on the chopping block). The team has been connected to the Giants’ Wan’Dale Robinson as well.
Pierce is a big-play threat who has led the NFL in yards-per-catch in each of the past two seasons. However, some evaluators believe the Packers’ Romeo Doubs is the most well-rounded receiver eligible for free agency this year, and in addition to Pierce’s market, the Patriots, Commanders, and Titans are closely monitoring Doubs’ situation.
The 49ers are looking at Doubs as well, per Fowler. The four-year Packer, who is also expected to draw interest from the Bills, has three 600-plus-yard seasons on his resume, including a career-high 724 (on 13.2 yards per catch) in 2025. San Francisco could lose Jauan Jennings to the open market and is set to move on from Brandon Aiyuk, making wide receiver an obvious area of need. Green Bay, though, has not ruled out a Doubs re-up; GM Brian Gutekunst said at this year’s scouting combine that he would love to see the Nevada product return (via Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk).
Fowler confirms Pierce, who has a close relationship with Jones, would prefer to stay with the Colts. That said, the Cincinnati product is in line for a deal paying him at least $27MM per year, and if Indianapolis does not pony up that kind of cash, it may not be able to keep Pierce in the fold.