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Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll.
New Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll previously expressed a desire to retain the team’s top free agents but that hasn’t been the case. The team quickly lost Robert Spillane, Nate Hobbs and Tre’von Moehrig to huge contracts in free agency.
However, the Raiders have been sitting on their hands. Moehrig got the biggest contract of any of the team’s free agents as he has developed into one of the best safeties in the NFL. He’s a big loss but Las Vegas was quick to replace him. According to a March 10 X post from Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz, the Raiders are adding former Washington Commanders safety Jeremy Chinn on a two-year contract worth $16 million.
The contract will be 75% guaranteed, per Schultz. Chinn was a former second-round pick of the Carolina Panthers in 2020 and spent four seasons with the team before moving to Washington. He had a career year in 2024 having recorded 117 combined tackles, an interception and 2.0 sacks.
Chinn’s numbers are very similar to Moehrig’s from last season but he’s significantly cheaper. Plus, he spent last season working under Carroll assistant Dan Quinn, who is the head coach in Washington. It should be an easy transition as the Raiders run a similar style of defense.
Raiders Earn ‘B’ for Chinn Signing
Losing Moehrig is tough for the Raiders. They’ve had a difficult time in the draft over the past several years and he was one of the few players they hit on.
It’s never good to let homegrown talent walk in free agency. However, the Raiders have a new regime in place so it makes it easier. Chinn doesn’t have Moehrig’s upside and he’s a couple of years older.
He’s not necessarily an upgrade over the former safety, but at the very least, he’s not a huge downgrade. The Athletic’s Mike Jones gave the Raiders a “B” grade for the Chinn signings.
“After signing a one-year deal with the Commanders last year, Chinn delivered a 117-tackle season and added an interception and five pass-breakups,” Jones wrote in a March 10 column. “He parlayed that into the deal with the Raiders, who lost Tre’von Moehrig to the Panthers earlier Monday.”
Other Notable Raiders Moves
The other big move the Raiders made was retaining defensive end Malcolm Koonce. He missed all of the 2024 season with an injury but he looked like an emerging star during the 2023 season. The Raiders got him on a one-year, $12 million deal so it’s not a big risk for them to take.
If Koonce returns to 2023 form, he’s going to earn significantly more money next offseason. The Raiders also retained defensive tackle Adam Butler, who has emerged as a very strong interior pass rusher for the team. The defensive line is going to be the strength of the Las Vegas defense.
The Raiders still need to add cornerback and linebacker help. Divine Deablo also left and though they don’t have any key free agent cornerbacks, they desperately need more depth at the position. It’s still early in free agency but the Raiders’ needs in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft are becoming more apparent than ever.
