How much will the Raiders trim their roster throughout the offseason?

The entire league is now in offseason mode with the NFL Combine coming up in a little more than a week and free agency is right around the corner. So, let’s dive into another offseason edition of the Las Vegas Raiders mailbag!

Question: In your estimation, how much roster carving will happen with the Raiders? And will it be done with the precision of a surgeon’s scalpel or a chainsaw?

A: Well, we know Jimmy Garoppolo will be gone soon, so I guess we can consider that the first incision! Also, I believe it was last week that I wrote it’s almost a foregone conclusion that Hunter Renfrow will likely be let go, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jerry Tillery let go as well.

Other than that, and Josh Jacobs likely not returning, I don’t think there will be too much roster carving this offseason. One potential surprise to keep an eye on would be trading Jakobi Meyers as the team would essentially cut his cap hit in half — just under $6.8 million in savings with just over $6.8 million in dead cap — by dealing him.

Meyers is one of Josh McDaniels’ guys and his lack of speed could make him a questionable fit in Luke Getsy’s offense, so clearing some cap space and adding a draft pick could be enticing. To be clear, I don’t necessarily see that happening, more just putting it out there as a potential possibility.

The Raiders don’t have too many bad contracts on the books, so I don’t think we’ll see a lot of roster carving. As far as how precise they will be, well, the Garoppolo situation ended up playing out perfectly for them, meaning they’re off to a good start!

Q: Do you think Chris Jones’ effort is worth the Raiders giving him a big contract and is his age a problem?

A: That’s my concern with signing Jones. Pro Football Focus has him projected to earn $30 million per year and Spotrac is pretty close to that number as well at $28.4 million.

I think the Raiders could use his pass-rush skills at defensive tackle, but he does take plays off at the beginning of games against the run. Also, the Chiefs would have him sit on first- and second-downs — and then come in in passing situations — for at least one and sometimes two series a game this season. That’s a lot of money to give to a guy who likely won’t be an every-down contributor and turns 30 in July.

That being said, what Jones brings as a pass-rusher would significantly impact Las Vegas’ defense to the point where I think you have to open up the checkbook for him. They have plenty of cap space available to sign other free agents and hopefully, they can include an out in the deal for 2025 to protect themselves if Jones’ age and effort do become an issue.

A: I wouldn’t be so quick to assume that Jones isn’t going to hit the open market. The Chiefs also have to worry about re-signing cornerback L’Jarius Sneed and it wouldn’t surprise me if they use the tag on Sneed, giving Jones more flexibility to test the market.

For Parham, he played right tackle his junior year at Memphis so he’s already shown some position versatility. Additionally, he was always considered a candidate to move to center as Bleacher Report’s Bradon Thorn explained in Parham’s scouting report.