As of now, Tre’Von Moehrig’s new contract with the Carolina Panthers is already getting negative press. Did the Las Vegas Raiders make the right call this offseason?
General manager John Syptek’s run with the Silver and Black got off to an intriguing start. Many fans were under the impression that he was going to make an effort in keeping most of the defense intact. However, as we can now see, the vision he and head coach Pete Carroll had was far different than what Raider Nation had believed. Spytek, in a series of calculated decisions, let many Raiders players walk, including Moehrig. Instead, he made underrated signings and replenished a lot (but not all) of the team’s defensive depth through the NFL draft in tandem with key veteran additions.
The message was obvious: the Raiders were not going to overpay for average or even above average talent anymore. This was a new day.
The Raiders didn’t overpay for Moehrig but the Panthers did…
While Spytek and the Raiders stuck their approach, the Panthers went about it another way. Looking to reinforce a total defense that was the league’s worst (32nd), they realized that overpaying was the only plausible route. Hey, you can’t judge them too harshly, the Raiders once did every offseason what the Panthers are doing now. When you’re dead last, you have to overspend. Thankfully, this new regime understands you patiently build through the draft as Carroll and John Schneider once did in Seattle. You also fill in the gaps with proven vets that aren’t going to stifle your finances.
As far as the Panthers go, they did what they had to do. Simultaneously, it doesn’t mean that it was smart. In fact, Bleacher Report recently lambasted Moehrig’s contract as one of the NFL’s worst heading into the season.
The Panthers overpaid again this offseason when they signed Tre’von Moehrig to a three-year, $51 million deal that includes $34.5 million guaranteed. The 26-year-old developed into a fairly reliable starter for the Las Vegas Raiders but hasn’t established himself as a top-tier player yet.
Moehrig allowed an opposing passer rating of 92.5 in 2024 and was graded 59th overall among safeties by Pro Football Focus. To land him on the open market, Carolina made Moehrig the league’s sixth-highest-paid safety in terms of yearly value and gave him more guaranteed money than all but four NFL safeties.
It was unfortunate seeing Moehrig leave the Raiders. You can sympathize with Raider Nation who has grown weary of witnessing homegrown talent not be retained. Nonetheless, this is the business of the NFL. Spytek and Carroll believe in what they’re doing and we can certainly agree that whatever it is they’re envisioning didn’t translate into breaking the bank for Moehrig.
Alternatively, Moehrig balls out in Carolina and becomes something special. We’ll see.
*Top Photo: Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun