The Raiders Must Put a Dollar Amount on "Potential"

The Las Vegas Raiders have decisions to make at numerous positions on their roster.

Jan 4, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; The Las Vegas Raiders shield logo at midfield at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders' offseason is in full swing.

Decisions on the Horizon

The Raiders brought defensive end Malcolm Koonce along slowly last season, as he was making his back from a season-ending injury that happened days before Week 1 of the 2024-25 season. After resigning him to a one-year deal last offseason, the Raiders are faced with another decision.

Bill Barnwell of ESPN put Koonce's 2025 season in Las Vegas in perspective.

Sep 7, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll reacts with defensive end Malcolm Koonce (51) during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

"Koonce outplayed first-round pick Tyree Wilson and racked up eight sacks and 16 knockdowns in an impressive 2023 campaign, but he missed all of 2024 because of a torn ACL, then had 4.5 sacks and 13 knockdowns in a situational role last season," Barnwell said.

Koonce, like several other players on the roster who are set to become free agents or soon become free agents, has a lot of untapped potential. One of the Raiders' most pressing decisions this offseason with Koonce and Eric Stokes, is deciding if there is a dollar amount on potential.

Feb 10, 2026; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek at press conference at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

If they believe there is a dollar amount for potential, then they must figure out that amount is for Koonce and others.

Nov 17, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Malcolm Koonce (51) reacts after the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Earlier this offseason, Raiders general manager John Spytek gave a glimpse into how he will handle the pending free agents currently on the Raiders' roster. Last season, the Raiders let several players go who went on to have productive seasons elsewhere.

For that to happen, when several of those players signed affordable deals elsewhere, proved that better decisions could have been made last time. It also confirms that resigning their own pending free agents is nearly as important as signing free agents from other teams.

Nov 23, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) runs against Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Malcolm Koonce (51) in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

“We don't want to let good players leave our building. That's happened around here. I was in charge last year when a couple good players left the building. And it's one of the things I learned, you got to keep our good players here,” Spytek said.

“And we were talking about it this morning. You look around the league there's some former Raiders that are playing good football somewhere. And I got to do a better job in that world." 

Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Raiders could get outbid for Koonce's services. With 10 draft picks and a lot of money to spend in free agency, they may or may have a hard cap in mind for what they willing to pay Koonce. How the Raiders' front office values Koonce will be the deciding factor.

However, other factors will include their plans without Koonce and their plans for star defensive end Maxx Crosby. If they have any inclining a Crosby trade is possible, the makes Koonce even more valuable to the Raiders' roster. Trading Crosby would free up $30 million in cap space this offseason.

Sep 15, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Malcolm Koonce (51) sacks Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) during the first quarter at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

That additional money, along with the additional money added to the salary cap, could make the Raiders willing to pay Koonce more than they would have initially. No matter what they decide with Koonce, it will affect them in more ways than one. There are many aspects to this decision.

There are multiple possibilities and factors that go into Koonce's future with the team. However, after watching players like Divine Deablo and K'Lavon Chaisson have productive seasons elsewhere on productive deals, the Raiders should make sure not to undervalue Koonce or his long-term potential.

Jan 4, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Tyree Wilson (9) celebrates with Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Malcolm Koonce (51) after sacking Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Chris Oladokun (19) for a safety during the fourth quarter at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

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