Safety Jeremy Chinn signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Raiders this offseason, despite the team having little recent success.

But he knows how fast things can turn around with a veteran coach breathing new life into an organization.

Chinn, 27, signed a one-year deal with the Commanders last offseason because he believed Dan Quinn could turn the franchise around. His faith was rewarded, as Washington went from 4-13 in 2023 to 12-5 and reached the NFC title game.

Now Chinn hopes to be part of a similar turnaround with the Raiders under Pete Carroll, Quinn’s former boss with the Seahawks.

“The veteran leadership (is similar here) for sure,” Chinn said after one of the Raiders’ organized team activities last week. “You know guys like Maxx (Crosby) and Elandon (Roberts), and guys like myself.

“Having guys like that, I think it starts there and it’s great because I’ve seen it last season being in Washington. Obviously it’s a different team, a different place, different situation, but I’ve seen what it takes to be able to just kind of have that immediate turnaround, and I think it starts with the guys in the locker room, and I truly believe we have the right people in our locker room.”

Different path

Carroll, who won Super Bowl 48 with Seattle, was a key reason why Chinn chose to come to Las Vegas. Carroll also plays a huge role in the confidence Chinn has in his new team.

“I was really excited with for the opportunity to work with him,” Chinn said. “He was someone when I was coming out of college, I kind of thought maybe I was going to go to Seattle and kind of have a certain role there and be able to play under coach Carroll. But obviously, paths go different ways, and I’m grateful for the path that I had and the path that I’ve taken. But having this opportunity now and being able to talk to him during that process, it was kind of a no-brainer for me.”

Chinn was selected in the second round of the 2020 draft out of Southern Illinois by the Panthers, who traded up with Carroll’s Seahawks to select him.

He made the NFL’s all-rookie team his first season thanks in large part to his versatility. Chinn, in addition to starting at safety, got snaps at linebacker and nickel cornerback as well.

He kept being a movable chess piece throughout his four seasons in Carolina and his one year in Washington. He believes the Raiders will tap into his ability to move all over the field as well.

“Just being in a situation where I was asked to do a lot of certain things, it just kind of made my mindset that this is the life of the NFL,” Chinn said. “There’s going to be a lot of different roles, a lot of different responsibilities. So I just kind of took that and rolled with it for the rest of my career.

“I feel like I can affect the game in a lot of ways, in a lot of different spots. In this defense, it’s allowing me to do that. So, it’s super exciting.”

Career year

Something else that stands out with Chinn is his physical gifts. He ran a 4.45 second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine and was considered one of the most athletic safeties in his draft class.

Still, that’s not what’s defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has been impressed with since seeing Chinn up close.

“With Jeremy, it starts off with the leadership,” Graham said. “He’s very sure of himself because he puts in the work. Self-confidence comes from preparation; it’s not a self-esteem thing or self-talk thing. When you’re prepared, you’re really, really confident. That’s what I see from him. And he’s been a sponge in terms of learning how we want to do things. Then all the physical attributes, but all 32 teams know about that. The speed, the size, physicality, ability to tackle, nose for the ball. So, I mean, it’s all been positive there.”

Chinn is also coming off his best season to date. His tied his career best with 117 total tackles, and his two sacks and seven tackles for loss were personal bests.

He’s hoping for an encore, both in terms of his production and the team success he had with the Commanders last year. But right now his focus is on little things like making sure everyone on the defense is on the same page when it comes to the Raiders’ system.

“We’ve been improving every single day,” Chinn said. “So as long as we continue to make steps, I think we’ll get to where we want to be.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.