Raiders Lose Key Defender Winston Moss to Seahawks

The Raiders lost free agent Winston Moss Wednesday when the starting right linebacker signed a three-year, $4.225-million deal to join the Seattle Seahawks.

The deal became official after Moss paid the Raiders $100,000 to get out of a right-of-first-refusal agreement made with the team in January.

The Raiders had up to 15 days to match any offer. Instead, the Seahawks added $100,000 to their offer to pay off the Raiders. Moss will now receive a signing bonus of $1.6 million instead of $1.5 million.

Moss was a valuable part of the linebacking corps last season, contributing stability and experience to an inexperienced group.

As an eight-year NFL veteran who has spent the last four seasons with the Raiders, Moss was a crucial ingredient in the success of the defense, playing alongside the other two starting linebackers who began last season with one year of experience between them. Second-year man Greg Biekert was the middle linebacker with rookie Rob Fredrickson on the left.

Moss had 74 tackles last season, 56 unassisted, and two sacks. His loss leaves a hole in the Raider defense.

Moss made $950,000 last season and thought he was worth more. He had hoped to negotiate a new deal with the Raiders before the end of the season. Instead, they let him test the market.

“I’ve heard stories before that their (intention was) to let me go and look for something else and go in another direction,” Moss said. “This is business, and I respect that. In four years in L.A., you get to know the guys and the craziness of the Coliseum. It was a good experience. We had some good years, and we had some mediocre years, but that’s done and over now.”