The Las Vegas Raiders have kicked off their 2025 free agency by making all the right moves. The most important one is not overpaying for players, including their own UFAs. Robert Spillane and Tre'von Moehrig are the two main cases.
Spillane signed a pretty massive deal with the New England Patriots, and Moehrig signed with the Carolina Panthers. Both players deserve those contracts. However, the Raiders didn't want to overpay for those guys when they were rebuilding and needed to address tons of positions. Sure, they had the money, but after making those deals, they would have had very little to work with.
To replace Moehrig, they signed former Washington Commanders safety Jeremy Chinn, who is getting paid nearly half of what Moehrig is to be better for the system the Raiders will run. Then at linebacker, to replace Spillane, they signed former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts on a cheap deal that may be a steal. But, with Divine Deablo also out this offseason, the Raiders need another LB as a starter, or at least a bunch of depth guys to rotate in.
Right now, their second LB would be either Amari Gainer, a UDFA from last season, or Tommy Eichenberg, a day-three pick from last year. So, the Raiders are meeting with LBs as we speak.
Raiders to meet with Christian Elliss
On Monday, Mike Reiss revealed that the Raiders are meeting with Christian Elliss, a linebacker who played for the New England Patriots last season. He comes from a football family—his dad, Luther Elliss, played for the Detroit Lions, and three of his brothers are also in the NFL.
He grew up in Colorado, starred at Valor Christian High School, and won a co-defensive Player of the Year award as a senior. He played college football at the University of Idaho, starting at linebacker and earning first-team All-Big Sky honors with 266 career tackles.
Elliss went undrafted in 2021 and signed with the Minnesota Vikings but didn’t stick. He joined the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad, then their roster in 2022, mostly playing special teams with 16 tackles in 18 games. In December 2023, the Patriots claimed him off waivers. In 2024, he started five games for New England, finishing with 80 tackles, 1.5 sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble. At 6’2” and 231 pounds, Elliss is big, fast, and tough.
The Raiders seem to have an interest.
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