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The Las Vegas Raiders just hosted the 2023 Pro Bowl Games for the first time and some players were impressed. The skills competition took place at the team’s headquarters in Henderson, Nevada. Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey was particularly blown away by the team’s facilities.
He even went so far as to say he wanted a tour of them.
Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones caught wind of Humphrey’s tweet and started the process of recurring the 3-time Pro Bowler by asking how many years he has left on his contract.
Unfortunately for Jones and the Raiders, Humphrey signed a five-year extension with the Ravens in 2020 worth $97.5 million. He won’t be a free agent until 2027 and Baltimore isn’t trading him anytime soon. While the Raiders really need a cornerback, a trade for Humphrey isn’t going to happen. For what it’s worth, the cornerback did start to complain about how he hates Las Vegas. The idea of moving there can’t be very appealing.
Raiders Could Land Other Ravens CB in Free Agency
While Humphrey isn’t an option for the Raiders, the team could look at another Ravens cornerback. Marcus Peters can hit free agency this offseason and he’d feel right at home with the silver and black. The Oakland, California, native has said he grew up a fan of the team. He’s dealt with injuries in recent years and recently turned 30 but he’s still a good player to have.
Peters has a fiery personality and playing style that the Raiders need on defense. The group has lacked fire for years now and he can certainly knock some heads. He’s been an All-Pro four times and should be better in 2023 after being a couple of years removed from a torn ACL injury. Peters also shouldn’t be overly expensive in free agency. The Raiders should be able to get him for around $10 million a year. Pairing Peters with Nate Hobbs and an exciting rookie could be just what the team needs to fix the secondary.
Raiders Linked to Rookie CBs
The Raiders currently hold the No. 7 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. It remains possible that the team uses that pick on a quarterback or offensive lineman but they may prefer to go defense. Cornerback should be high on the priority list for Las Vegas. According to The Ringer’s Ben Solak, the Raiders are already getting linked to some of the top cornerback prospects:
One thing is clear: The top of the draft will be focused on the cornerback position. Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez and Illinois’s Devon Witherspoon—who accepted a Senior Bowl invite before backing out late—are the names regularly mentioned as options for teams with top-10 picks, like the Lions, Eagles, and Raiders. Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr. should not be excluded from that bunch. We have seen two top-10 cornerbacks in consecutive drafts—Patrick Surtain II and Jaycee Horn in 2021 and Derek Stingley Jr. and Sauce Gardner in 2022. I wager we’ll see two again in 2023.
Signing a veteran in free agency and landing a top rookie cornerback would completely change the Raiders’ secondary. The team should be putting focus on improving the pass defense with so many great quarterbacks in the AFC.
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