The Las Vegas Raiders have quite a bit of work to do to close the gap between them and the rest of the AFC West, and one of the first big decisions of the Pete Carroll Era will be figuring out what to do with impending free agent Tre’von Moehrig. A second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the TCU product has been one of the best players on the team for the past four years. An elite run defender, the safety finished his fourth season with two interceptions, 10 passes defended, one sack, 104 tackles, five tackles-for-loss, and three quarterback hits.
Now set to test the open market for the first time in his career, the Raiders could lose Tre’von Moehrig to a massive contract from another team. At least, that’s what ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler believes. In a recent article, the NFL analyst said multiple evaluators believed him to be the best free agent safety on the market and that “[t]he Raiders will have a hard time keeping him.”
Tre’von Moehrig will earn a large contract, but it’s hard to envision any team outbidding the Raiders. As of this posting, Vegas has $92.5 million in projected cap space, the second-most in the league. If they want to keep the homegrown star, they have the financial resources to do it. However, if the new administration doesn’t believe he’s worth superstar money, Moehrig could leave to join the Los Angeles Chargers or Carolina Panthers.
Report: Raiders “Will Have A Hard Time Keeping” Free Agent Tre’von Moehrig
Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh guided the team to the playoffs despite inheriting a flawed roster from the previous administration. Now armed with over $63 million in cap space and the ability to easily create more with some releases, Harbaugh and company should be able to build a legitimate contender in 2025. While the team must add at least one capable pass-catcher, don’t be surprised if the old-school Harbaugh focuses on turning a good defense into an elite one by stealing Tre’von Moehrig from the Raiders.
As of this posting, Derwin James and Aholia Gilman are the only safeties under contract in 2025. While James remains one of the league’s better safeties, Gilman struggled last season and could be replaced in the starting lineup. Moehrig and James both excel against the run and the pass, and combining these two could give the Chargers the best safety duo in the league.
Rebuilding the Defense
The Carolina Panthers have the foundation for their offense in place, so now it’s time to address the defensive side of the ball. After losing Brian Burns, Frankie Luvu, and Jeremy Chinn in the offseason, Carolina struggled to stop opposing offenses through the air or on the ground, ranking dead last in EPA/play allowed. It’s going to take more than one player to fix this defense, but signing Tre’von Moehrig from the Raiders is a good place to start.
Carolina has a reliable top cornerback in Pro Bowler Jaycee Horn and should be able to re-sign surprise breakout Mike Jackson as a free agent. These two are an adequate starting duo, and adding Moehrig to the mix will give the team a solid all-around secondary. If the Panthers can pair a now-healthy Derrick Brown with a reliable edge rusher, this defense should be good enough to support an improved Bryce Young offense.
Main Photo: Kim Klement Neitzel – Imagn Images
