The Las Vegas Raiders front office has been very busy this offseason. After a 4-13 2024-25 season, change was in the air. Now with Pete Carroll as head coach and John Spytek as general manager, the Raiders made the smart decision to bring back defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.
Graham interviewed elsewhere this offseason for opening positions at both the head coach and defensive coordinator positions. Retaining Graham in Las Vegas will surely give a boost to the defense, especially since he was able to crack the Top 15 in yards allowed with several injured players.
With a returning Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins, two impact players on defense who missed several games for the club last season, the Raiders have the chance to take their defense to the next level. That is if the club is able to reach an agreement with star linebacker, Robert Spillane.
Spillane has been with the Raiders for two seasons and joined Graham one season after he took over defensive coordinator duties. In that span, Spillane has proven to be the biggest threat, dropped over 300 total tackles with the Silver and Black.
Set to become a free agent at the conclusion of the campaign, Spillane will be a hot commodity on the free agent market. Any team would love to sign a player that has averaged 153 total tackles over the past two seasons.
Now with the Raiders bringing back Graham, this could greatly impact the decision making process for Spillane. After admitting he would love to be a Raider for the remainder of his career, Graham is going to want players he is not only familiar with, but ones that play as hard as Spillane does on each snap.
The Raiders should find a way to give whatever it is Spillane is asking for in free agency to keep him in Las Vegas. With several returns and new leadership, the Raiders have the potential to push their defense into the Top 10 in the league conversation.
After a disappointing season, there must have been talks behind closed doors to motivate Graham in staying in Las Vegas, and perhaps Spillane's potential return was one of those deal breakers.
