Chiefs Poach 25-Year-Old Ex-Raiders DE in Free Agency

The Las Vegas Raiders have lost several key defensive players in free agency and they’re losing another one. Defensive end Janarius Robinson played 16 games for the team over the last two seasons.

He became an important player for the Raiders in 2024 as they dealt with numerous injuries on the defensive line. However, Pete Carroll and his new coaching staff have decided against bringing him back.

According to Robinson’s agency SportsTrust Advisors, the defensive end has signed a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. He now goes from playing against them twice a year to being on their side.

Robinson first came into the NFL as a fourth-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2021 but he never played a snap for the team mostly due to injury. He then went to the Philadelphia Eagles but an injury derailed his lone season with them.

This led him to the Raiders in 2023 where he was finally able to play his first regular season game. The Chiefs have one of the best defenses in the NFL and defensive tackle Chris Jones draws so much attention that it could open up some opportunities for Robinson to make some plays if he makes the team out of training camp.

Pete Carroll Talks AFC West Coaches

The AFC West was already a highly competitive division last season but could now be the most competitive division in the NFL now that Carroll is leading the Raiders. All four head coaches have been to Super Bowls while three of them have won.

Carroll is the oldest of the bunch and likely has the hardest job considering the Raiders haven’t won a playoff game since 2002. However, he’s excited for the challenge of facing some of the best coaches in the NFL six times a year.

“To be battling against Andy and Sean and Jimmy Harbaugh, that’s what it should be,” Carroll told The Athletic. “For us to survive the challenges of that division, we’re going to be ready for whatever comes. If you expect it to be easy, and you’ve got an advantage, I don’t see it that way. The harder it is, the better it is for us to get good. And the sooner it’s hard, the sooner we get better. The challenge is enormous.”

There might not be a division in the NFL with more coaching talent than the AFC West.

Can Anybody Catch the Chiefs?

For nine years, the Chiefs have dominated the AFC West. The Raiders haven’t won the division since 2002, the Los Angeles Chargers haven’t done it since 2009 and the Denver Broncos haven’t done it since 2015.

The Chiefs are fresh off their third-straight Super Bowl appearance and are considered the favorites to win the AFC West for a 10th-straight year. That said, the gap between Kansas City and the other teams in the division isn’t as wide as it once was.

The Chargers and Broncos both made the playoffs last season and the Raiders just hired a head coach who has one losing season since 2012. It still feels like the Chiefs will hold onto the division title for another season but it’s not going to be as easy as it was in years past.