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The Las Vegas Raiders have many important decisions with their impending free agents. Many of them are starters at some of the most critical positions on the field. Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox predicts what the Raiders' top free agents will sign for this summer.
"While Las Vegas would undoubtedly like to have Jacobs back at a fair price, they're highly unlikely to franchise tag him for the second straight season," Knox said. "This means that Jacobs will be getting an entirely new contract, and one can only assume that he'd prefer to have multi-year security. That could potentially push Jacobs out of Las Vegas' comfort zone."
"Spotrac gives Jacobs a projected market value of $10.6 million annually. That may be a bit high, however, given Jacobs' 2023 performance and quad injury, plus a deep free-agent RB class—headlined by Jacobs, Saquon Barkley, and Derrick Henry. The prediction here is that Jacobs takes a shorter deal to reestablish his value and hit the market again before the age of 30."
Contract Projection: Two Years, $19.5 Million with $14 Million Guaranteed
The Raiders have multiple starting offensive linemen set to become free agents this offseason. Arguably, none more critical than center Andre James.
"It's a bit easier to pinpoint what starting center Andre James has been to the Raiders," Knox said. "Las Vegas handed him the starting job in 2021. James has since developed as one of the league's most dependable interior linemen. There are several reasons the Raiders should want to keep James in the fold. For starters, he's good, and he's only 26 years old."
"James' best football may still be ahead of him, and he can be a long-term building block along the line. Secondly, Las Vegas could potentially also lose guard Greg Van Roten and right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor in free agency. The Raiders also have a new offensive line coach this season in James Cregg, so there will already be an adjustment period. Keeping James would help maintain a level of continuity up front."
Contract Projection: Three Years, $24 Million with $14.5 Million Guarantee
This past season saw right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor play both tackle positions for the Raiders. This made Eluemunor more valuable to the team and could lead to him getting a bigger and better contract."Eluemunor may not be valued as highly outside of Las Vegas because he has struggled with consistency as a pass protector," Knox said. "In 2023, for example, Eluemunor was responsible for five penalties and six sacks allowed, according to Pro Football Focus. He had a whopping ten penalties the previous season, too."
"However, miscues aside, Eluemunor has developed into a terrific starter for the Raiders. He cut down on avoidable mental errors this past season, and he provides a physical presence on the edge that is more valuable than his sack numbers might suggest."
"Eluemunor can also fill in at left tackle or guard in a pinch, and he's been relatively durable for Las Vegas—having played in at least 14 games in each of the past three seasons. While he'll turn 30 in December and doesn't have as much long-term value as James, re-signing Eluemunor for continuity purposes would still be logical."
Eluemunor has shown over the past two seasons that he's above average.
Contract Projection: Two Years, $11 Million with $5 Million Guaranteed.
The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently hold the No. 13 overall pick.
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