Oakland Raiders: 2016 Offseason In House To Do List

The Oakland Raiders took a big step forward in 2015, this offseason will be crucial in building on that momentum.

The Oakland Raiders are without a doubt, a team on the rise. A 2015 season that saw them more than double the previous season’s win total and playing meaningful games late into the season was impressive progress and put the league on notice that the Raiders were doormats no more.

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That’s not to say that they don’t have plenty of issues and problems that need to be addressed this offseason. They most assuredly do. And those things must be addressed if the team hopes to build on the momentum they earned in 2015.

But for the first time in a long time, the Raiders have a very solid foundation to build upon. They have young, talented stars like Derek Carr, Khalil Mack, and Amari Cooper. They also have solid young pieces who contribute in a big way like Latavius Murray, Gabe Jackson, Justin Ellis, Travis Carrie, Ben Heeney, and Neiron Ball. And of course, their young stars are augmented by very solid veterans like Michael Crabtree, Dan Williams, Malcolm Smith, and David Amerson.

It seems like it’s been forever – probably because it has – that the Raiders have had a roster loaded with as much talent as they currently have. The Raiders have playmakers and difference makers all over the field, on both sides of the ball.

But if they want to build on the success of 2015, they are going to have to supplement their roster with even more talent. And some of the talent they need is already in-house. The Raiders have a number of key free agents – players who contributed big in 2015 – and whom the team absolutely must re-sign to maintain their continuity and continue their rise.

There are some key free agents who the Raiders should look at as the offseason starts to roll, but for the purposes of this article, we will focus on the in-house free agents the team should sign to new contracts. External free agents will be addressed in a subsequent article.

With that being said, here are some of the Raiders’ own free agents they should start negotiating with sooner rather than later.

Next: Keep The Wall Intact Pt. I