No team across the National Football League was more active than the Las Vegas Raiders on Wednesday. Sin City’s tandem of head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek started free agency early by adding Alex Cappa to the team. Maxx Crosby got a three-year, $106.5 million extension, and star guard Jordan Meredith was retained.
Oh yeah; and Raider Nation waved goodbye to Gardner Minshew, who the team announced would be released in the upcoming days.
And even after all of that action, the Raiders may not be done making moves in the near future. That’s because Wednesday also opened up the doors for Pete Carroll to add familiar faces at a position of need.
After 10 seasons as part of the Seahawks organization, Seattle and wideout Tyler Lockett decided to go their separate ways. Lockett played under Carroll for nine years in Seattle, rising from third-round draft pick to trusty receiver No. 1. Under Carroll, the now-32-year-old was able to total 612 receptions, 7,994 receiving yards and 59 receiving touchdowns.
Lockett walks away ranking second via most receiving yards by a Seahawks player in addition to notching the second-most receiving touchdowns in team history, trailing Hall-of-Famer Steve Largent in both categories.
For a team in desperate need of receiver help, Lockett stands as a good option for the Raiders.
But at 32 years of age, perhaps Lockett isn’t ready to take over as a team’s No. 1 option. And that’s okay. With Jakobi Meyers suiting up for the Silver and Black, who finished his ’24 campaign as the only pass-catcher to drop zero passes on 100-plus targets per The 33rd Team, Lockett doesn’t need to be that.
But if Carroll and Spytek are looking for a true wideout No. 1, boy, are they in luck.
Will D.K. Metcalf be joining Pete Carroll in Sin City with the Raiders?
As it turns out, Lockett [likely] won’t be the only wide receiver Seattle is parting ways with this offseason. Not long after the news of Lockett’s departure, star receiver D.K. Metcalf officially requested a trade from the Seahawks organization.
Metcalf, a second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, spent the first year of his pro-career without Pete Carroll in 2024. His production during that lone year was arguably the worst of his career.
This past season, Metcalf posted career-lows in both touchdowns (5) and first downs (35). His 66 receptions tied for the lowest he’s had in a campaign since his rookie year, and he finished under 1,000 yards receiving for only the third time in his career.
Frustrations grew for Metcalf over the course of the season with it only being a matter of time before the Mississippi was officially ready to leave this chapter of his career behind him.
As far as Metcalf’s relationship with Carroll goes, it’s exactly as one would expect.
“I love Pete,” the two-time Pro Bowl receiver said of his now-former coach. “He’s the one. He’s the reason that I’m standing right here in front of y’all.”
He was a great coach for me. Can’t dismiss what he did for me and this organization.”
And Carroll shares that same respect for his former receiver. He once referenced a play made by Metcalf as, in his own words, “One of the best I’ve ever seen.”
In any case, the Raiders would need to give Seattle sufficient compensation to get a deal done. Carroll and Spytek swung big last week on Matthew Stafford; perhaps they’ll do the same with D.K. Metcalf. It would only make sense, after all.
Chris Godwin, who has strong ties with both Spytek and Raiders minority owner Tom Brady, stands as another option. Or, Perhaps, Las Vegas gets fancy and adds both Godwin and one of either Metcalf or Lockett–the receiver room really could use that much help.
*Top Photo: Steven King/ Getty Images
Free Agency: Keep An Eye On Las Vegas Raiders, Chris Godwin Pairing