Robert Spillane was one of the best offseason signings in all the NFL last year, and it sounds like the Raiders might be interested in extending the two-year, $7 million deal they gave him a year ago.
“Keep an eye on Robert Spillane running into the last year of his deal,” Hondo said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast. “I don’t know that the Raiders want him to be playing on a one-year deal, because if he continues to play well, which we have no reason to think he won’t, then you have to franchise him [if he wants] to go out and test the market.”
For what it’s worth, Spillane has a $5.3 million cap hit in 2024 under his current deal, according to Spotrac.
It’s possible that the Raiders could drop that number with a new deal, but the priority in re-signing him would probably be to guarantee that the 28-year-old will be with the team for at least another couple of years without breaking the bank.
According to Pro Football Focus, Spillane was the fifth-best linebacker in the NFL at defending the run this year (among LBs with at least 300 snaps), but it was his coverage that made the headlines in his first season with the Raiders.
Spillane’s fourth-quarter interception against the Jets sealed the game and earned Antonio Pierce his second win as interim head coach.
Spillane also had two key interceptions against the Packers in week 5.
For what it’s worth, the other linebacker that impressed for the Raiders this year was third-year player Devine Deablo.
Deablo is still on his rookie deal after being selected in the third round of the 2021 draft. Like Spillane, his contract will expire after the 2024 season.
At the very least, the Raiders should do what they can to have at least one interior linebacker under contract beyond next year. For now, it sounds like Spillane might be the priority, but keeping Deablo in the mix wouldn’t be a bad idea, either.
twitter: @raidersbeat
If both of our linebackers are that good we should try hard to keep both of them.
We as Raider fans believe that we should always try to keep our players as a team as a unit as a FAMILY so to speak , so yes resign the player makers or what A.P. said ” The players who play like a Raider who bleed Silver & Black 🖤🩸 “…..
He deserves it absolutely. He was the glue that kept it all together. My wish go get patrick queen. That would be huge.
Im not so sure Queen would be a huge upgrade. The Raiders, like most of the NFL, play two linebackers and 5 DB’s most of the time and often put a DE out in coverage so they dont need a pile of LB’s.