The Las Vegas Raiders must add to the cornerback room this offseason, as Jack Jones had an underwhelming 2024 campaign and could be a cut candidate, Nate Hobbs is set to hit unrestricted free agency, and the team lacks promising young talent at the position outside of Jakorian Bennett and Decameron Richardson.
Las Vegas should look to find another starting-level cornerback with experience, and ESPN’s Matt Bowen predicts the Raiders will sign one of the top players on the market at the position in Minnesota Vikings standout Byron Murphy Jr.
“The Raiders need more ball hawks in the secondary, and they could lose safeties Tre’von Moehrig and Marcus Epps and slot corner Nate Hobbs to free agency,” Bowen wrote.
“With the ability to play on the perimeter or in the slot (259 snaps in 2024), Murphy has the backfield vision and short-area speed to close on the ball and make an impact for Las Vegas. He’s a clear upgrade for a defense that finished with only 10 interceptions in 2024,” Bowen added.
Murphy had a career year in 2024 with the Vikings, as the veteran snagged a career-high six interceptions with 14 passes defended and an 80.5 passer rating when targeted. The former Washington standout also started all 17 games and was selected to the Pro Bowl.
Pursuing Murphy in free agency is a no-brainer for the Raiders, as the 27-year-old would step right in as the team’s No.1 cornerback and provide high-level play. The 2019 second-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals would take Las Vegas’ secondary to the next level and be a long-term building block for the future.
Signing Murphy will not be cheap, as Pro Football Focus projects the star defender will land a three-year deal worth $52 million with $34.5 million guaranteed, which is an average annual salary of $17.33 million. Spotrac believes Murphy’s contract will be worth $88 million over four seasons with $22.1 million per year.
The Raiders are estimated to have around $99.7 million in cap space, per Over the Cap, which is plenty of money to sign Murphy and address other needs on the roster, especially quarterback.
Byron Murphy Jr. has improved every year he’s been in the league and took a Pro Bowl leap last season. The former Day 2 pick would be a home run add by Las Vegas and would take Patrick Graham’s defense to new heights.
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