Free Agency thread for Raiders and league-wide

[RunOverByHubbard]

Free agency opens March 11. CBS Sports has their top 50 ranking. No Raiders on the list. I am surprised at a couple rated high - Aaron Rodgers and Daniel Jones. Lots of wide receivers

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/earl ... ng-top-50/

[Sold My Soul]

Sweet.

[Cruisin with Tooz]

raiders still in good position to add more players with 44 million under the cap and if we need more we could restructure max's deal and give him more guaranteed money to lower his base big time

We dont have anywhere near that. We started with 91. Add 8 from Geno. Thats 99. We signed 8 FAs, the cheapest of those was 8 million. At most, that leaves about 25. Signing our Draftees will require 16 million and the practice squad will eat another 5.

[raiders93]

We dont have anywhere near that. We started with 91. Add 8 from Geno. Thats 99. We signed 8 FAs, the cheapest of those was 8 million. At most, that leaves about 25. Signing our Draftees will require 16 million and the practice squad will eat another 5.

The details on Quays contract haven’t come out yet but 25 sounds close depending on how it’s structured (everyone else’s contract is showing on overthecap).

Worth noting is that a simple restructure of Crosby and miller looks like it would yield about 34m in cap this year. Also worth noting that it looks like we’re going to have a ton of cap next year as we’re currently carrying 52 million in dead cap that will be off the books.

Not a cap expert and admittedly the cash thing always kind of confuses me. All that to say, it looks like we still have the capacity to pretty comfortably bring in another big name or two.

[BoKnows81]

Best team fits for remaining free agents

Jauan Jennings, WR

Why is he still available? Age and market. Jennings is a useful player and thrives on third downs and inside the red zone, where teams really need their wide receivers to make plays. He can win on contested catches and in tight quarters, making him a reliable target for young quarterbacks with a habit of putting the ball (or their receivers) in danger. Jennings is also tough; the 6-foot-3 wideout famously told reporters last year that he was playing through five broken ribs and both low and high ankle sprains.

There's no doubting Jennings' toughness, but he has yet to complete a full 17-game season as a pro. He entered the league as a 23-year-old in 2020, didn't make his debut until the following season and is hitting free agency for the first time a few months before he turns 29, which isn't a point at which teams typically want to pay a PREMIUM to wide receivers. Jennings was also a third wideout for most of that time and has just one season over 700 receiving yards (a 975-yard effort in 2024).

We've seen teams pay for speed in free agency, as wideouts such as Alec Pierce and Rashid Shaheed garnered significant contracts quickly. The only veteran wideout nearing or past 30 to sign a sizable deal in free agency so far, though, is Mike Evans, who might have taken Jennings' job when he signed with the 49ers. In addition to Jennings, veterans Stefon Diggs, Deebo Samuel, Keenan Allen and Christian Kirk remain available, and Brandon Aiyuk and Calvin Ridley might soon follow as cap casualties. Teams are focusing on youth and aren't prioritizing more experienced options, even if they've been more productive. That's a trend across positions around the league.

This is Jennings' best chance of cashing in after playing the past two years on a bargain deal worth just $11.9 million. He's still likely to get a raise on that $6 million average he made from 2024 to 2025, but it's probably going to include only one guaranteed season. With so many other options available, the league might wait out these receivers for a while.


Where he could fit: Las Vegas Raiders. They will be running a Shanahan-inspired offense under new coach Klint Kubiak, and while there's less money than expected in the coffers after the Maxx Crosby trade was rescinded, Vegas can't afford to scrimp on help for likely first overall pick Fernando Mendoza. The Raiders added receiver Jalen Nailor in free agency and have young wideouts such as Jack Bech, Dont'e Thornton Jr. and Tre Tucker in the mix. But Jennings would step in as a reliable, valuable target for Mendoza in the short term, with the Raiders likely to find their eventual WR1 in the years to come.

-ESPN

Hard pass.

[HesterLayes]

Hard pass.

He’s not a one,but he is actually a very solid player and a run blocking mofo.

Why the hard pass

[chucker]

With all the contracts so far factored in, the Raiders sit at $24.7 in cap space.

That's for the top 51. The final roster is 53, so you still need a couple million more once the season starts. You also need cap space for practice squad, and for IR replacements (probably about $5 million for those two items). Contracts of draft picks will cost the team another $12.7 million when signed. So the team currently has about $5 million in cap space that they don't have future needs for.

The team could easily create more space if a good player is available at a position of need, but there's no rush to do that until some player is actually signed to prompt a move.

[BoKnows81]

He’s not a one,but he is actually a very solid player and a run blocking mofo.

Why the hard pass

Bc we can draft a Jauan Jennings this year. Spend that money elsewhere.

[chucker]

I would not go for Jennings. Nailor fills the role that Jennings would fill, and might be as good at it once he gets more opportunities. If we add to the WR room, it has to be a higher ceiling and younger player - in the draft.

[BoKnows81]

I would not go for Jennings. Nailor fills the role that Jennings would fill, and might be as good at it once he gets more opportunities. If we add to the WR room, it has to be a higher ceiling and younger player - in the draft.

Agreed. Not to mention, Jennings is likely fools gold coming from a team coached by an offensive genius.

[mstrbass2000]

We dont have anywhere near that. We started with 91. Add 8 from Geno. Thats 99. We signed 8 FAs, the cheapest of those was 8 million. At most, that leaves about 25. Signing our Draftees will require 16 million and the practice squad will eat another 5.

if were still signing guys it mean we are not struggling on cap...and if we needed a lot more cap for a major signing we could redo max's deal and lower his base salaries big time

[mstrbass2000]

The details on Quays contract haven’t come out yet but 25 sounds close depending on how it’s structured (everyone else’s contract is showing on overthecap).

Worth noting is that a simple restructure of Crosby and miller looks like it would yield about 34m in cap this year. Also worth noting that it looks like we’re going to have a ton of cap next year as we’re currently carrying 52 million in dead cap that will be off the books.

Not a cap expert and admittedly the cash thing always kind of confuses me. All that to say, it looks like we still have the capacity to pretty comfortably bring in another big name or two.

if quays deal is like the other deals done so far the hit for this yr will be smaller and the 2nd yr base will be high, i suspect were closer to 34 million

[chucker]

if quays deal is like the other deals done so far the hit for this yr will be smaller and the 2nd yr base will be high, i suspect were closer to 34 million

We're at $24.7 after Quay's deal. Overthecap has their numbers complete.

We'll still need more later for draft picks, PS, IR and the final two roster spots.

We essentially have $5 million in cap space that isn't earmarked for future use this season.

[mstrbass2000]

Fans of all teams saying the same, but that's a lot o injuries.

dude was top 3 cb before the injuries and the injuries are not to the same place, so you cant say he is injury prone, 1 yr deal for him makes a lot of sense for us cb is still a need

[mstrbass2000]

We're at $24.7 after Quay's deal. Overthecap has their numbers complete.

We'll still need more later for draft picks, PS, IR and the final two roster spots.

We essentially have $5 million in cap space that isn't earmarked for future use this season.

time to redo maxs deal and koltons deal to free up a bunch

[chucker]

time to redo maxs deal and koltons deal to free up a bunch

No need, until after you've made a signing that makes that necessary.