When Pete Carroll first took over as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, both he and partner in crime, general manager John Spytek, wasted no time addressing the boatload of upcoming free agents. Continuity is what Carroll had in mind; a sentiment he proved true by retaining both special teams coordinator Tom McMahon and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.
That desire for continuity has trickled down Sin City’s coaching staff, becoming a staple of the team’s defensive line unit heading into the 2025 season.
Once Patrick Graham officially re-joined the Raiders’ coaching ranks, he made sure D-line coach Rob Leonard was still on board. And, once that happened, the duo of Graham and Leonard fought for their defensive line to stay intact.
To Spytek’s credit, that’s exactly what he made happen; more or less.
The first move came one day before free agency ‘unofficially’ began, agreeing to terms with Adam Butler on a three-year, $16.5 million contract. A deal that, heading into 2025, makes Butler the 46th-highest paid defensive tackle annually.
This is an agreement that Spytek truly deserves his flowers for. Already, 12 defensive tackles have agreed to deals during this year’s free agency period worth more money per season than Butler. The Minnesota Vikings, for example, struck deals with two defensive tackles, agreeing to contracts worth at least $15 million per season with both.
And while Butler’s age of 30 might be a contributing factor to his incredibly team-friendly deal, perhaps it should also be noted that neither player the Vikings agreed to pay at least $15 million per season are younger than Butler.
Butler totaled five sacks during both his ’23 and ’24 campaigns. This past season, he earned the eighth-highest stop percentage on running downs (16.4%) among all defensive tackles league-wide (min. 250 run-down snaps).
Pete Carroll continues proving continuity sentiment true; Las Vegas Raiders defensive line continues benefitting
Of course, Butler is only one example of continuity being the theme of the Raiders’ defensive line with Pete Carroll; Graham and Leonard both sticking around aside, that is.
The second burden of proof is the retainment of Malcolm Koonce, who agreed to a one-year, $12 million deal to stay in Sin City. Of all the eight contracts agreed upon through free agency up to this point, Koonce’s deal is the only one that surpasses $10 million annually.
Koonce missed the entirety of his ’24 campaign with an ACL injury, but enjoyed an electric ’23 season. The Buffalo alum took down opposing quarterbacks eight times, getting the best of opposing blockers 14.2% of the time.
For reference, Maxx Crosby bested his blockers on 15.3% of occasions. Koonce’s 9.1% pressures-per-snap was higher than Crosby’s mark of 8.6%, even. When you’re keeping up with the king of the Raiders defense, it’s a fantastic sign–even if Crosby is the focal point of pass-blocking game plans.
The final brick of defensive line continuity was laid on Tuesday as Las Vegas agreed to a deal with defensive tackle Zach Carter. Carter was picked up by Sin City halfway through the ’24 season after being cut by the Cincinnati Bengals.
In eight games in Sin City, Carter totaled 11 stops and one sack. His 4.8% missed tackle percentage was the lowest among all defensive linemen to play for the Raiders in 2024 with at least five tackles.
Carter [re-]joins a defensive tackle group that consists of Christian Wilkins, Adam Butler and Jonah Laulu, the latter who earned 474 defensive snaps throughout the season as he proved to be a valuable piece of Las Vegas’ defense.
Those interior guys will continue lining up beside Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce and Tyree Wilson. Continuity.
*Top Photo: Getty Images
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