This morning the Lions traded former first round cornerback Jeff Okudah to the Falcons. What they received in return was a mere fifth round pick. This deal naturally has fans from several cornerback-needy teams wondering why their team couldn’t have made such a deal.
Among the most cornerback-needy teams is the Raiders. On top of that, the Raiders have 12 selections in this year’s draft, including three picks in the fifth round.
For these reasons, it’s understandable that many in the Raider Nation are openly frustrated their team was the one making this deal. But there is a good reason why. Perhaps several good reasons.
First and foremost? Money.
Okudah is a former third overall pick entering the final year of his rookie contract. That means his contract carries with it a cap hit of $5.2 million.
As we noted recently, the Raiders are currently sitting with less money under the salary cap than they will need to have available for their rookie draft pool.
Also, as I said, this is the final year of Okudah’s contract. So, this would be a one-year rental situation. That in and of itself is not a deal-breaker, but it certainly lessens the value of the addition.
All this is to say nothing of the fact that, despite his former draft status, Okudah has not exactly performed at a high level. In addition, he’s missed 25 games over his three seasons in the league.