The Raiders are heading into the 2026 league year with a real decision pile. Las Vegas has a long list of in-house free agents hitting the market when the new league year opens on March 11, and that volume alone forces a tougher, more selective approach. One league-wide angle that keeps popping up in the rumor mill is how Las Vegas supports its expected No. 1 overall quarterback, with ESPN’s Matt Bowen specifically naming Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs as a clean free-agent fit to give Fernando Mendoza a reliable target, especially in traffic-heavy areas.
This is where smart roster-building gets blunt. You keep the rare pieces, replace the replaceable ones, and don’t pay premium prices for roles you can recreate with younger legs and cheaper contracts.
With that in mind, here are seven Raiders free agents who make the most sense to let walk.
Malcolm Koonce, DE
Koonce is the kind of player who can get priced like a centerpiece if the market is hungry for edge help. The problem is that paying market heat money for a pass rusher who isn’t a consistent, week-to-week game-wrecker is how you end up cutting corners elsewhere. Las Vegas needs edge juice, sure, but it also needs flexibility, and the clean move here is letting Koonce cash in somewhere else while the Raiders keep building their front with younger, cheaper bodies and targeted upgrades.
Kenny Pickett, QB
If you’re resetting anything about your offense, you don’t tie up real money at backup quarterback unless it’s a very specific role with a very specific plan. Pickett’s name has been a headline part of the Raiders’ free-agent list, which tells you there’s going to be a market for him as a bridge or a high-end No. 2. The Raiders should let that market be someone else’s bill.
Daniel Carlson, K
This is where fans get annoyed, because Carlson has been steady. But kicker contracts can quietly become bad value when you’re paying for comfort instead of upside. If the number gets pushed up, the Raiders can replace kicker production without spending premium dollars and use that cap space on positions that actually decide playoff games.
Jamal Adams, LB
Adams’ name on the Raiders’ own UFA tracker tells you he’s up this spring. The bigger question is what you’re actually buying at this point: the player’s peak reputation, or a role player you can find in multiple places for less. Las Vegas needs speed and reliability on defense, especially in space, and if Adams is priced like anything more than a specialized piece, it’s an easy “thank you and good luck” decision.
Tyler Lockett, WR
Lockett is a respected pro, but wide receiver is one of the spots where teams talk themselves into nostalgia contracts. The Raiders need to get younger and more explosive. If Lockett wants a meaningful deal, there’s no reason for Las Vegas to be the team paying it when those targets and snaps should be going to developing options or to a more age-aligned addition.
Eric Stokes, CB
Cornerback is brutal, and that’s exactly why Stokes could get paid. But paying starter money for a corner you’re not fully certain is a long-term solution is how you end up patching the position again next year. If Stokes’ market climbs, let him walk.
Stone Forsythe, OT
Offensive line depth also have his weight, and tackle depth especially gets expensive fast. But there’s a difference between important and worth starter money. If Forsythe is priced like a plug-and-play starter, that’s exactly when you step back.
Letting these seven walk doesn’t mean the Raiders are punting a season. When you have a big free-agent class, the correct play is rarely to keep most of it intact.
In the background, the Maxx Crosby trade chatter is also staying alive, with Ian Rapoport describing the situation as “complicated” and hinting there’s enough smoke to keep watching as the calendar moves toward the early-March stretch, especially with Crosby’s knee situation and recovery timeline hanging over any potential deal.
The Raiders need some changes for a better year.
