Las Vegas Raiders

A $51.8M dead-cap anchor (8th-most in the league) leaves only $15.4M to work with this season, but the committed spend collapses dramatically in years three and four, and $75.4M in projected room next year opens a real spending window.

30 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Seven starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Six picks in the immediate draft, five of them in the top five rounds, plus a three-year haul of 20 selections and three first-rounders gives Las Vegas serious rebuild ammunition despite entering the draft without a seventh-round pick forfeited to Buffalo.

• Traded away: Round 7 to Bills, this draft

The roster's clear top strength is its collection of blue-chip pass-rushers and offensive-line talent anchored by Maxx Crosby, Tyler Linderbaum, and Kolton Miller, while the wide receiver room and defensive tackle group represent the weakest spots on both sides of the ball.

• DThigh

  The Raiders rank dead last in both starter and depth quality at defensive tackle, with Adam Butler (73 overall) leading a group that bottoms out in the mid-60s, making this the single most urgent acquisition target on the roster.

• LGhigh

  Trey Zuhn III (73 overall, Star trait) starts but ranks 28th among starters leaguewide, and the depth behind him drops off sharply to Spencer Burford and Atonio Mafi.

• MIKEhigh

  Nakobe Dean (78 overall) holds the starting spot but ranks 25th at the position, and the backup is Cody Lindenberg at just 62 overall, leaving the middle linebacker room dangerously thin.

• QBhigh

  Fernando Mendoza (74 overall, Superstar trait) is the depth-chart starter ahead of twilight-stage Kirk Cousins (73 overall), and while the room ranks second in depth leaguewide the starter ranks 27th, meaning quarterback development is the franchise's highest-priority long game.

• RThigh

  DJ Glaze (72 overall) starts at right tackle but ranks 27th among starters, and the backup Isaiah Jatta checks in at just 62 overall, leaving the right side of the line exposed.

• WRhigh

  Tre Tucker (78 overall) leads a receiver room that ranks 31st in starter quality and 25th in depth, making wide receiver the most glaring skill-position hole on an otherwise capable offense.

• FSlow

  Treydan Stukes (76 overall, Star trait) starts but ranks 22nd leaguewide, and the depth behind him is serviceable at best.

• REDGElow

  Kwity Paye (77 overall) starts opposite Maxx Crosby and ranks 22nd at the position, a passable but not dominant complement to the 97 overall anchor on the other side.

• 67Aidan O'ConnellQBAidan O'Connell (67 overall) is the third quarterback on a depth chart where Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins already fill the two meaningful roles, and releasing him frees $3.7M against only $120K in dead money.Frees $3.7M · $120.0K dead
• 66Thomas Booker IVDTThomas Booker IV (66 overall) occupies a position of desperate need without providing starter-caliber production, and his release costs nothing in dead money while freeing $3.7M that can be reinvested at the position.Frees $3.7M · $0 dead
• 75Malcolm KoonceLEDGEMalcolm Koonce (75 overall) is the backup left defensive end behind a 97 overall starter, and while releasing him creates $5.8M in dead money, it also frees $5.3M and clears a roster spot to address higher-priority needs elsewhere.Frees $5.3M · $5.8M dead
• 72Jordan MeredithCJordan Meredith (72 overall) is the second-string center behind Tyler Linderbaum (88 overall) and carries no dead money, so releasing him frees $3.5M with zero cap penalty.Frees $3.5M · $0 dead
• 58Chris MyarickTEChris Myarick (58 overall) is the third tight end on the depth chart and the third fullback, contributing little meaningful snaps while his release frees $1.1M at no dead-money cost.Frees $1.1M · $0 dead

Las Vegas has a compelling foundation to build around: Maxx Crosby at defensive end, Brock Bowers at tight end, Ashton Jeanty in the backfield, Tyler Linderbaum at center, and Kolton Miller protecting the left side give the team genuine stars at premium positions. The problem is the layers around them. Fernando Mendoza, a 23-year-old Superstar-trait quarterback, is the long-term answer under center but is unproven, and Kirk Cousins is firmly in the twilight of his career as a bridge option. The receiver room ranks near the bottom of the league, the defensive tackle group is the worst in the NFL on paper, and right tackle remains a liability. The cap picture is complicated this season, with $51.8M in dead money squeezing an already modest $15.4M in room, but the committed spend drops dramatically after two seasons, and next year's projected cap room of $75.4M opens a real spending window. The three-year draft haul of 20 picks, including three first-rounders, gives the front office real ammunition to reload through the draft. The franchise is hard to run well right now, but the young core of Bowers, Jeanty, and Mendoza gives it a credible path to contention by the middle of the decade, provided Mendoza develops and the trenches are upgraded on both sides of the ball.

The Raiders were founded on January 30, 1960, in Oakland, California, as the eighth charter franchise of the American Football League (AFL), joining as a late replacement after the Minneapolis franchise defected to the NFL. After three losing early seasons, the club hired Al Davis as head coach and general manager in 1963; Davis installed an aggressive vertical passing attack, winning the 1967 AFL Championship and reaching Super Bowl II. Davis became part-owner in 1966 and eventually principal owner, ruling with the motto "Just win, baby" until his death in 2011. The Raiders joined the NFL in the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Under head coach John Madden (1969-1978) they won their first Super Bowl (XI) after the 1976 season, and Tom Flores led the team to a second title in Super Bowl XV after the 1980 season. In 1982, after Davis won a landmark antitrust battle with the NFL, the franchise relocated to Los Angeles, where the Raiders won Super Bowl XVIII following the 1983 season, the franchise's third title. Davis returned the team to Oakland in 1995; the second Oakland era included a Super Bowl XXXVII appearance after the 2002 season. The NFL approved the team's move to Las Vegas in 2017, and the Raiders began play at Allegiant Stadium as the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020. All told, the franchise has won three Super Bowls, one AFL Championship, and numerous division titles across its Oakland, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas eras.