It’s been a busy offseason for the Las Vegas Raiders, who have made several notable moves.
Geno Smith was brought in to be the new quarterback, Raheem Mostert was added to help the league’s worst ground game, and Elandon Roberts and Jeremy Chinn were added to start on defense.
However, one of the team’s best moves could end up being a re-signing that went under the radar.
The Raiders kept edge rusher Malcolm Koonce in town, inking the pass-rusher to a one-year deal worth $12 million. It was expected that Koonce would have a large market, but the Raiders made sure to keep the promising defender around.
Seth Walder of ESPN recently graded the best deals and contracts of free agency so far. Koonce’s deal received an “A-” grade, which ranked sixth on the list, and Walder offered the following analysis:
I’m surprised. I thought Koonce was going to be a hot name this offseason and land a pretty big deal based on his upside. But this could be injury-related.
Koonce missed the entire 2024 season with a knee injury. But Koonce showed promise in 2023, with 8.0 sacks and a 17% pass rush win rate at edge (22nd best out of 50 qualifiers) in his first season as a starter. Koonce started 11 games that season after moving past first-round rookie Tyree Wilson on the depth chart.
Now, Koonce has a one-year, prove-it deal. And it’s good for the Raiders that the rest of the league didn’t have much interest. At best they get an ascending edge rusher on a bargain deal. At worst, it’s only a $12 million commitment.
As Walder mentioned, Koonce missed the entire 2024 season with a knee injury. It was an unfortunate development, as Koonce impressed in 2023 with eight sacks and a 17% pass rush win rate.
That injury could be the only reason Koonce is still around, though, as another big season would’ve undoubtedly led to him getting paid in free agency.
So far in his NFL career, Koonce has collected 10 sacks in 11 career starts. The defender also has 55 career tackles, 19 quarterback hits and 11 tackles for loss.
If Koonce regains his 2023 form in 2025, this deal will look like one of the biggest steals of the offseason. It’s expected that Koonce will start opposite Maxx Crosby with former first-round pick Tyree Wilson rotating in, as well.
Over the Cap has the Raiders currently sitting at around $50 million in cap space, so the team could still make some notable additions in free agency.
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