The Las Vegas Raiders got off to a strong start at the beginning of NFL free agency, and the grades are promising after a busy time.
The Las Vegas Raiders had money to spend, holes to fill, and fans to impress when free agency kicked off.
And, they did all of that within just one day.
After Day 1 of the free agency tampering period, the Raiders had agreed to contracts with a ton of players, with the biggest one being the signing of center Tyler Linderbaum for three years and $81 million.
Some other notable additions were Quay Walker, Kwity Paye and Nakobe Dean to give the defense some new faces.
Daniel Carlson's time as the kicker came to an end with a deal for Matt Gay, and that was only the beginning of a wild free agency time for the Raiders.
Then, the Maxx Crosby back out by the Baltimore Ravens changed a lot of things, but the Raiders made clear their intentions to honor the deals they had agreed to before that event on Tuesday night.
All in all, it was a strong start, and Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports gave the Raiders a B+ grade.
This haul includes bringing back cornerback Eric Stokes on a three-year deal after a strong 2025 campaign, as well as bringing back Malcolm Koonce, so there are some returning players included in this free agency group.
"Defensive lineman Kwity Paye, and linebackers Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean also got healthy deals, and everyone seemed surprised that receiver Jalen Nailor got $35 million over three years. When you’re a perennially rebuilding team, you have to overpay sometimes," Schwab wrote.
The only caveat is that the Crosby-Ravens backout makes it tough to tell for Schwab, especially because nobody knows what the future holds for the talented pass rusher.
The Raiders seemed to be having the No. 14 overall pick in the draft as well, but the failed trade means they don't have that pick. On the other hand, it seems, for now, that Crosby might play for Las Vegas in 2026, which would be a massive boost to the defensive front.
New head coach Klint Kubiak has to be thrilled with the free agency haul so far, and GM John Spytek has wasted no time or resources bringing in talent.
Add that to the fact that Fernando Mendoza is almost assured to be the Raiders' QB for the foreseeable future, and the future is very bright in Sin City.
And, let's keep this in mind: This was only after three days of free agency, so it's an overwhelmingly good start for the Raiders.