Only two players were on the field for at least 95 percent of the defensive snaps for the Raiders last season, and both will become free agents if they don’t sign them before Monday.

Linebacker Robert Spillane (98.21 percent) and safety Tre’von Moehrig (98.74) lead a group of seven players set to hit free agency after being on the field for at least 45 percent of the defensive snaps. That leaves new coach Pete Carroll and new general manager John Spytek with some major decisions.

“We want to keep our team together,” Carroll said at the NFL scouting combine. “John’s working at it, and we want to do everything we can to keep our guys in the fold.”

Several of those players are expected to be a priority for a new regime with money to spend and holes to fill on the roster.

It could be especially valuable to retain defensive players who have experience in coordinator Patrick Graham’s system.

“We don’t want to let any good players walk out of our building, especially young players,” Spytek said after the team re-signed safety Isaiah Pola-Mao.

Spillane key player

Despite going 4-13 last season, the Raiders had plenty of talent, and some of those players could draw interest from other teams. Carroll is well aware of that.

“We’re going to need all those guys to help us that have been there before,” he said. “Don’t discount the hunger and the passion to do something they’re proud of. There’s great power in that, and we’ll try to capture that and feed off that.”

Spillane is at the top of that list. He’s the team’s communicator and essentially has been an extension of Graham on the field while also finishing among the league leaders in tackles.

It would be surprising if the Raiders don’t re-sign Spillane. But it might be an expensive deal, as the linebacker market has been set fairly high with the contracts awarded to the Eagles’ Zack Baun and the Bills’ Terrel Bernard.

Moehrig might be even more difficult to retain. He’s coming off the best season of his career and is just 25.

Safety Marcus Epps suffered a season-ending knee injury that limited him to 15.78 percent of the defensive snaps. The Raiders might be reluctant to retain him, especially after the signing of Pola-Mao.

Decisions on the line

There could be a hole in the middle of the defense, with tackles Adam Butler (76.95 percent) and John Jenkins (54.62) likely to draw attention on the market.

The Raiders invested heavily at the position in the 2024 offseason by signing Christian Wilkins, who was lost for the season after five games with a foot injury. His return will feel similar to adding a new star player, but the Raiders still need to address the depth at the position if Butler and Jenkins leave.

There also will be a great deal of intrigue on the edge. Former first-round pick K’Lavon Chaisson (45.56) experienced a career resurgence with the Raiders, which means they probably will have competition to keep him. Malcolm Koonce had a great finish to the 2023 season and looked poised for a breakout campaign in 2024 only to suffer a season-ending knee injury before the season opener.

How Koonce is valued on the market will be fascinating. It should be noted he was one of the players Carroll mentioned at the combine as wanting to retain.

Cornerback Nate Hobbs (49.87) is a fan favorite and brings versatility to the secondary, but is coming off an injury-plagued season. Linebacker Divine Deablo (61.79) is also set to hit the market for the first time. Both players were part of the 2021 draft class, along with Koonce and Moehrig.

Cornerback Darnay Holmes (26.73) and defensive lineman Janarius Robinson (9.78) are also unrestricted free agents.

Destination spot

Spytek said this week when a contract extension was announced for star defensive end Maxx Crosby that the new regime’s goal is to make Las Vegas a destination for good players.

“It’s no secret that it hasn’t been sunshine and roses around here forever,” Spytek said. “… Our expectation is we want people to want to be here. We want people, once they get here, to want to stay here.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.

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