As the Raiders wrap up the second week of free agency, their fans have plenty of questions after the club added quarterback Geno Smith and a handful of new defensive starters.
Here is a sampling of what arrived in this week’s mailbag:
isaac (@estala_isaac): When do you think a Smith deal gets done?
Bonsignore: It might seem cliche to say any minute now, but this really does feel like a deal that can close at any moment. However, there is virtually no rush to get a new contract in place. It’s far more important to do a deal that is fair to the player and the team.
My prediction is sometime next week.
RN4L (@MaxMane30): What second- or third-year guys will become stars this season?
Bonsignore: Great question.
Gut feeling: Defensive end Tyree Wilson finally turns the corner in his third year. And cornerback Jakorian Bennett stays healthy and delivers a big-time season in his third year.
Moog (@BoogieWall98): I’ve seen a report that we restructured (defensive tackle) Christian Wilkins. Could the Raiders be trying to make a trade or maybe simply pay Geno Smith, or is it possible they could be pushing some of that money to 2026?
Bonsignore: The Raiders converted Wilkins’ $20.5 million roster bonus, which came due last week, into a prorated signing bonus. Wilkins gets paid as scheduled, but the Raiders can now spread the cap hit over the remaining four years of the contract rather than absorb it all this year.
That comes out to a $5.125 million cap hit over the next four years.
Doing so created just over $15 million in additional cap space for 2025.
This is fairly standard business for the Raiders. That space can be used as needed, but any unused cap space can be rolled over to next year, too.
Could the restructuring be a sign something might go down? Maybe. More than likely, the club has its eye on what is shaping up as a strong free-agent class for next season.
Go Raiders (@GoRaiders19): If (Boise State running back) Ashton Jeanty and (Arizona receiver) Tetairoa McMillian are both there at the No. 6 pick, who do you believe they take out of those two?
Bonsignore: Jeanty.
Mundo (@abrahn): Have the Raiders met or contacted any free-agent wide receivers?
Bonsignore: It’s standard practice to check in on a slew of free agents. Nothing appears imminent at the moment. The Raiders could turn to the draft to add an impact wide receiver.
Matthew Beeby (@MatthewBee73998): The Raiders have roughly $50 million in cap space, including $10 million for the draft class. We cannot put out a substandard team in Pete Carroll’s first year. Where is this money going?
Bonsignore: Carroll has a big say in how the roster is being constructed. Perhaps the biggest. That means he is making key decisions in free agency and where money is being spent.
It stands to reason Carroll is not considering these moves as building a “substandard team.”
There is not definitive proof that spending big money in free agency leads to more winning, especially in what are considered down years in terms of big-time talent.
Joel Grayson (@grayson715): Is (receiver) Amari Cooper an option?
Bonsignore: Maybe after seeing how the draft shakes out.
Ty Detloff (@TyDetloff): What do you think the likelihood is for the Raiders to move up or trade back in the first round? Is there any credible information that the Raiders are going to trade for a top player before the draft? Maybe a wide receiver or cornerback?
Bonsignore: It would be hard to pass up on the blue-chip prospects available at No. 6. Prediction is, they stay put.
Trade for a top player? Not sure how many of those are truly available. But maybe a potentially disgruntled wide receiver, like, say, the Steelers’ George Pickens?
For the right price, why not?
Mark Swartz (@MarkSwartz3): Chances of trading back into the first to get (Alabama quarterback) Jalen Milroe and let him sit behind Smith for two years?
Bonsignore: If he is there in the second or third round, perhaps. Trading up for him? Don’t see it.
Ed Helinski (@MrEd315): Without grading on a curve, what letter grade do you give Raiders management for its free agency efforts? Better yet, why that grade?
Bonsignore: B. The Raiders significantly improved at quarterback. That is worth a lot.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.
