On a day that already saw some much-needed cathartic roster decisions get officially announced, the new(ish) look Raiders made another interesting move on Thursday, bringing in former Pro Bowl running back Raheem Mostert. The news was first reported by NFL Insider Jordan Schultz. According to The Athletic's Raiders beat writer Vic Tafur, it'll be a deal worth up to a little over $2 million.
It also, amusingly enough, reunites new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly with Mostert, both of which were in San Francisco for Kelly's one season as the 49ers head coach. If you forgot that Chip Kelly was once the head coach of the 49ers for a season, that's okay – so did I. Frankly, I imagine the 49ers are actively trying to forget that.
Raiders' one-year deal for Raheem Mostert could be a sneaky great move
"Sources: The Raiders are signing former Dolphins Pro Bowl RB Raheem Mostert to a 1-year contract," he tweeted on Thursday afternoon. "The 10-year veteran had 1,012 rushing yards and a league-leading 21 total touchdowns in 2023. A big addition for Las Vegas’ offense."
Mostert, 32, is coming off a rough season with the Dolphins that saw him only start one of the 13 games he appeared in; he finished the year with 85 rushes and less than 300 yards. All that being said, he's only one year removed from a 2023 season that saw him lead the league in rushing touchdowns, finish with over 1,000 rushing yards, and make the only Pro Bowl of his career. At the very least, it's a low-risk one year deal that could raise the floor of a Raiders running back room that could desperately use it. Anything other than that, and the Raiders could have just pulled off one of their best moves of the offseason.
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The Las Vegas Raiders have entered a new era under head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek. While the new regime has already proven that they are doing things a bit differently, that may not be such a bad thing for a franchise that has struggled over the last two decades.
While the league year does not begin and signings cannot become official until March 12, the legal tampering period of free agency began on Monday. Several Raiders players who were set to test the open market have already begun reaching agreements with other NFL teams, including Tre'Von Moehrig, Nate Hobbs, Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo.
Although losing these players is quite a blow for Las Vegas, whose defense has been its strong point the last few seasons, the team did re-sign star defensive linemen Adam Butler and Malcolm Koonce. Spytek also added a few value signings on the defensive side of the ball, among them were safety Jeremy Chinn, defensive back Lonnie Johnson Jr., and linebacker Elandon Roberts.
Chinn was the biggest name signed by the Silver and Black yesterday, but his uncle was actually a more famous player than he is. In fact, three of the safeties currently on the Raiders roster have unique ties to some of the best players in NFL history at the position.
Raiders new safety trio has unique set of NFL connections
Most of Raider Nation already knew that Isaiah Pola-Mao was the nephew of NFL Hall of Fame strong safety Troy Polamalu, a two-time Super Bowl champion who spent his entire 12-year career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Lesser known, however, is the fact that Trey Taylor, a seventh-round draft pick from Air Force in 2024, is the cousin, by marriage, of NFL Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed, who won a Super Bowl and played 12 professional seasons, primarily for the Baltimore Ravens.
When Chinn reached an agreement with Las Vegas on Monday, it was quickly discovered that is he is the nephew of NFL Hall of Fame safety Steve Atwater, who won two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos and played a majority of his 11-year NFL careeer in the Mile High City.
Bill Williamson of SB Nation was the first to point out this phenomenon, and I must say, it is a pretty bizarre coincidence. The odds of having three safeties on a roster with family connections to NFL players are already low, but when you factor in that all three have Hall of Fame, Super Bowl-winning family members who played the same position, the chances of that feel next to zero.
This is the reality for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025, however, as they attempt to rebuild their safety room after key departures. Chinn is the most experienced of the group, but Pola-Mao came along nicely last season when Marcus Epps was lost for the year due to injury. Taylor is yet to get his feet wet in the NFL, but like his two teammates, he can bounce ideas off of and learn from one of the greatest to ever play the position.
While this group will likely fail to produce three Hall of Fame players and several Super Bowl wins, they could be a sneaky-good trio under new defensive backs coach Marcus Robertson.
