It's now July, which means we will have preseason football next month and regular season football in less than two months.
It's been a long offseason, and a ton of players have switched teams. The Raiders, in particular, have undergone some big changes, including trading for quarterback Geno Smith and drafting star running back Ashton Jeanty in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Raiders have definitely improved over the offseason, but there are some areas that could use more upgrades before the season begins, like the secondary.
Luckily for the Raiders, there are some quality free agents still available.
Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports recently identified Asante Samuel Jr. as a logical fit for the Raiders. Samuel has spent his entire career with the divisional rival Los Angeles Chargers so far, but has yet to re-sign with the team this offseason.
Regarding Samuel in Vegas, Sullivan offered the following:
Third-round rookie Darien Porter could factor into one of the starting spots on the boundary, but there's not much promise beyond that. The Raiders did sign Eric Stokes in March, but given that it's simply a one-year, $4 million deal, he shouldn't be looked at as a lock to be a bona fide starter. Similar to Minnesota, adding Samuel Jr. would give the Raiders another dice roll as they look for stability in the secondary. And they'll need it playing in an AFC West division that consists of Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Bo Nix.
As Sullivan mentioned, the Raiders don't have many certainties in the secondary, and that could be a problem.
Rookie third-rounder Darien Porter will likely factor in, as will free agent addition Eric Stokes and holdover Jakorian Bennett. Bennett has impressed at times, but Stokes has been disappointing in his career, so the unit could use another solid option.
In 2024, Samuel was limited to just four games after suffering a shoulder injury. In that time, Samuel racked up 13 tackles, two pass deflections and earned a 59.3 Pro Football Focus grade.
When healthy, the corner has been a solid player. Samuel had two interceptions in each season from 2021-23, and has 37 total pass breakups in his career.
In Vegas, Samuel and Bennett could be the starting corners on the boundary while Porter, Stokes, and Darnay Holmes also factor in.
Spotrac projects Samuel to land a four-year deal worth $11.5 million annually, but it's likely the corner will have to settle for a smaller deal this late in the offseason.
