The Las Vegas Raiders have been one of the most interesting teams to watch this offseason.
After another disappointing season in 2024, the team parted ways with head coach Antonio Pierce and brought in the legendary Pete Carroll. As a result, the roster underwent big changes as well, with Geno Smith being brought in to the be the new quarterback.
While trading for Smith was probably the biggest move the team made, one of their most impactful moves could end up being the re-signing of a key defender.
Edge-rusher Malcolm Koonce was thought of by many as one of the more intriguing pass-rush options in free agency. Koonce burst onto the scene in 2023, playing in all 17 games and collecting 43 tackles, eight sacks, and nine tackles for loss.
That performance had people expecting big things out of Koonce in 2024, but unfortunately, the defender suffered an injury in practice last September that ended his season before it even began.
Still, many expected Koonce to land a nice payday this offseason due to many teams needing help on the edge. Koonce ended up re-signing with the Raiders on a one-year, $12 million deal and on a recent appearance on The Rush with Maxx Crosby, Koonce admitted he always wanted to return to Vegas.
“I knew I wanted to come back [to the Raiders]. I knew I wanted to play with you guys again,” Koonce explained. “So my agent would be like ‘These people are interested’ and I’d be like ‘Well, what did the Raiders say?’ He’d say ‘These people are offering this’ and I’d be like ‘Have you checked with the Raiders in the last couple of days?’”
The Raiders could certainly use more production on the edge, so it made sense to give Koonce another shot. Crosby was the only Raider to get more than five sacks in 2024, and the team didn’t make any notable additions on the edge in the draft or free agency.
Crosby also mentioned that the Koonce injury affected the team last season and the vibes are positive now that the former third-round pick is back.
“Just the raw emotion of how it kind of went down… [Malcolm] is coming off the best season you’ve had to that point… you were having an incredible offseason, incredible training camp… and this was like right before we go and play the Chargers, last padded practice a couple day before the game and we were on the indoor, [Malcolm] takes one step and tears his ACL,” Crosby said, adding that defensive line coach Rob Leonard was visibly shaken by the injury.
Koonce is expected to be healthy for the start of the 2025 season, though, and the team is also likely hoping 2023 first-round pick Tyree Wilson takes a step forward.
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