It was a forgettable season for the Raiders in 2024 and, at times, it felt like everything that could go wrong during the season, did go wrong.
Maxx Crosby talked with former Raiders head coach Jon Gruden in New Orleans last week and they discussed some of the bad luck that chased the team around this season.
According to Crosby, it was a twist of fate in the preseason that jarred the locker room even before the first regular season game.
“[Malcolm Koonce] was having an unbelievable offseason, great camp, and we go on the indoor and [he] just took a wrong step [and] blew his knee out before the season. It shook up everybody,” Crosby said. “We were emotional about it because you know Malcolm, he’s a great kid and he’s just matured and grown into this guy. When he was a puppy you didn’t know what he was going to be, but you could see the traits and the talents… but he’s just matured so much [and] seeing that happen to him it was extremely tough for all of us… but he’s motivated. He’ll be back. I have zero doubt. He’s going to be a great player in this league for a long time.”
Crosby talked about some of the younger players developing on the Raider defense and mentioned Koonce as one of the growing leaders in the locker room.
“I would say a young emerging leader, the next guy to take that next step would be Malcolm,” Crosby told Gruden. “Kind of like when you had Yannick [Ngakoue] come in, I was kind of like the younger dude underneath him learning, figuring out how to do it and lead by example. I think Malcolm could be a great leader.”
Just a few weeks before Koonce went down with his knee injury in September, Raiders’ defensive coordinator Patrick Graham went on Crosby’s podcast and was asked to name a player he expected to take a huge stride in 2024.
The player he mentioned right away was Koonce.
“I don’t want to put anybody on the spot, but I just love what Malcolm [Koonce] has been able to do,” Graham said on The Rush.
“In terms of what he was able to do last year and the way he’s working right now. I think he could care less what happened last year. He’s just like Maxx, you have to do every week, every year, it’s a new season,” Graham continued. “The way he’s been working, the maturity in terms of him growing into himself as an NFL player and knowing who he is and being able to communicate that and execute it. It should be fun to watch. I’m not going to predict this and that. I just know this. Show me you’re doing the work. We’ll see what the results are. Let’s rock. He’s putting in that work.”
The Raiders have a big decision coming on Koonce in March as he will become an unrestricted free agent at the start of the new league year. With Graham back in the building in 2025, there’s a good chance Koonce will be a priority for the Raiders, but it’s hard to know who Tom Brady and GM John Spytek might decide to prioritize.
Along with Koonce, other Raiders set to hit free agency are Robert Spillane, Tre’von Moehrig, Adam Butler, K’Lavon Chaisson and Nate Hobbs.
Every indication is that Spillane is going to be a top priority to re-sign, but Koonce might come in at no. 2 on the list considering the value of his position. Moehrig will draw interest, as well, and it would be interesting to see which player the Raiders would prioritize if they only brought back one…
Koonce or Moehrig?
Who would you be most disappointed to see get away?
x: @raidersbeat
Koonce. At the right price, pola Mao and Smith are solid. Travon is a coverage liability
Pay him
Any of these at the right price, but I feel like Moehring stands out in the available safety class, so he’ll get overpaid and i’d let someone else. Pola Mao hasn’t reached his ceiling, and he seems like an old school Seahawk safety, I still would be moderate with the dollars. I like Spillane, we really need a faster defense, and he is at an inflection point in his career, he needs to cash in. Koonce and Chaisson, if you don’t sign them, you gotta replace them. We know these guys and edge pressure FA has burned a lot of teams.
Agree with you T72. I will say if Spillane wants to get paid and the number is close to Wagner’s asking price I’d rather have him. There some good LB’s available and we have two young ones in Gainer and Burney that could be really good. And two really good young safety’s that could step up too. Pola Mao is a keeper for sure.