The Las Vegas Raiders had a very busy 2024 offseason. With Antonio Pierce having the interim tag removed and becoming the full-time head coach, the front office also received a new general manager.
Taking over that role is former Los Angeles Chargers general manager, Tom Telesco. He has his work cut out for him to get out from under the mess the previous head coach, Josh McDaniels, left behind.
A lot of focus has been on the quarterback position, and rightfully so. If you don’t hit there, it is difficult to compete; especially when you reside in the AFC West and have to contend with Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert.
Telesco will have a delicate balancing act to do until the salary cap sheet can get cleaned up. Identifying which players are long-term building blocks and deserve an extension is imperative to roster building.
Heading into training camp, there are a few players who fit the bill as extension candidates. The most important one, in the opinion of Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report , is edge rusher Malcolm Koonce.
Through the first two seasons of his NFL career, Koonce was not a big part of the defensive game plan. He had only two sacks in 22 appearances, playing only 116 total snaps.
In Year 3, he had his breakout. His role expanded once Pierce took over as head coach and he made the most of his opportunity.
Over the final four games of the season, Koonce racked up six sacks as the bookend to star Maxx Crosby. He finished the season with 8.0 sacks overall, taking advantage of playing opposite one of the best pass rushers in the NFL.
That has put the Las Vegas Raiders in a tough spot. As detailed by Ballentine, Telesco doesn’t want to wait too long to sign a player, but wants to see if the end-of-season breakout was more than a blip on the radar.
“Koonce is set to play the final season of his rookie contract for $1.6 million this season. If he goes out and builds on that season with double-digit sacks, his price will skyrocket. However, extending him now could leave open the possibility that his four-game stretch of dominance was a mirage.
Ultimately, the value for an extension now would be hard for both sides to agree on. It’s more realistic that both sides would like to see what Koonce can do this season before coming to an agreement next offseason,” Ballentine wrote.
It will be interesting to see if a deal is reached during training camp. The Las Vegas Raiders want to make sure Koonce’s breakout was legitimate before committing to him long-term.
That is likely a bet Koonce is willing to take. With more opportunities to play in 2024, his price tag will only go up if he can keep up the same level of production.
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The post Las Vegas Raiders’ Breakout Pass Rusher Named Top Priority appeared first on NFL Analysis Network .
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