Category: Raiders free agency

Former Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo lands with the Rams

Jimmy Garoppolo has been signed by the Rams

Jimmy G has a new home. And he’s going back to Cali. The former Raiders and 49ers quarterback has signed on with the Los Angeles Rams according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Garoppolo was cut by the Raiders this week, just as the new league year began.

The former Super Bowl starter signed on with the Raiders last offseason, but lasted just six games before being benched in favor of rookie Aidan O’Connell.

Due to his two-game suspension for a PED violation, his guarantees for this season were wiped out, thus leaving Las Vegas with over $11 million in cap savings this season.

Raiders officially release 4 including QB Jimmy Garoppolo, Hunter Renfrow

QB Jimmy Garoppolo and Hunter Renfrow among 4 Raiders officially released

With the start of the new league comes a house cleaning of sorts. The Raiders first official act in that regard was to release four players from their roster.

Out are:

QB Jimmy Garoppolo
QB Brian Hoyer
WR Hunter Renfrow
DT Jerry Tillery

None of the players were released were with a June 1st designation, which means the Raiders clear some $22 million in cap space. Most of which coming from the Garoppolo ($11.26 million) and Renfrow ($8.2 million) releases.

That money is being sent directly to the additions of DT Christian Wilkins, QB Gardners Minshew, and TE Harrison Bryant. Along with the re-signing of C Andre James.

Garoppolo was signed last offseason to a two-year deal and ended up starting just six games before being benched for rookie Aidan O’Connell.

Renfrow had a Pro Bowl season in 2021, becoming just the third Raiders receiver ever to catch over 100 passes (103). He signed a new deal and then fell off the past two seasons after Josh McDaniels took over as head coach.

Tillery was never really all that effective. And new GM Tom Telesco had already cut him with the Chargers two seasons ago, so you know he wasn’t a fan either.

Hoyer…lol.

Hunter Renfrow says goodbye to Raiders

Ahead of his expected release, Hunter Renfrow said his goodbye to Raider Nation

We are just under two hours before the official start of NFL free agency. At which point the Raiders are expected to release receiver Hunter Renfrow.

Ahead of his release being made official, the former Pro Bowl slot receiver took to social media to say goodbye to the team on which he spent the past five seasons.

“Once a Raider always a Raider,” Renfrow ended his message with.

Renfrow was selected in the fifth round of the 2019 draft (149 overall) out of Clemson. He went on to catch 269 passes for 2884 yards and 17 TD’s. And the term ‘Third and Renfrow” became a regular part of our vernacular.

This included a season in which he caught 103 passes in a season which is third in team history, just one behind the record Tim Brown had held for 23 years. It would lead to Renfrow receiving a new long term deal.

Then he saw a sharp downturn in his targets and receptions when Josh McDaniels took over as head coach. And now the team is taking the $8.2 million in cap relief with his release. Sad ending to a once very promising looking career for Renfrow with the Raiders.

Former Raiders CB Amik Robertson to join Lions on 2-year deal

CB Amik Robertson is headed to Detroit on 2-year deal

Some swagger has left the Raiders locker room. Cornerback Amik Robertson has agreed to terms with the Detroit Lions on a reported two-year, $9.25 million deal.

Robertson was originally selected by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 2020 draft out of Louisiana Tech.

Originally he was seen as someone who could develop into a viable starter in the slot. He struggled there and ultimately the team would draft Nate Hobbs as their answer there.

Robertson has seen his starts go up each season of his four-year career. From none as a rookie to two, to seven, and then last season to 12 starts. The result was improved numbers each season, including two interceptions last season along with a forced fumble and 50 combined tackles.

Mostly, he was a character who had a lot of confidence and fit in well with the new energy the Raiders had over their final nine games last season under interim head coach Antonio Pierce. But ultimately, the Raiders were looking to upgrade from him and let him find his worth in free agency.

Raiders miss out as free agent RB class stripped bare

Not 24 hours into free agency and all the good RBs are gone with the Raiders missing out

Not 24 hours into the free agent negotiating period and all the running backs worth mentioning are gone. One of which was Josh Jacobs heading to the Packers. But none of which saw the Raiders replace his spot on the roster. Leaving them with a need at the position.

The last big domino to fall was The King himself, Derrick Henry. He went to the Ravens. And with that, it’s crumbs in the RB free agent cupboard.

Adam Schefter listed out all the running backs who are changing teams this free agency period and it’s quite a list.

Some will simply say the Raiders have Zamir White, so they don’t need another running back. There are a few problems with that.

First and foremost, that new GM Tom Telesco made it clear they aren’t looking to have a workhorse back, but rather a committee situation in the Raiders backfield.

“From what I see he’s a very good player,” Telesco said of White. “He has size, he has speed, he has some nice vision, he had some nice production late in the year. But the way we’re going to play and a lot of teams play is you need more than one back. I don’t really see a lead back type thing. You need to have more than one. You need to have two, you need to have three. They all have different roles with the team. The way this game’s played, it’s hard to put that all on one person.”

White had a handful of very good games late last season. But it was by far the most work he had seen in his two-year career. He was as fresh as can be. We don’t know how well he would handle anything approaching the kind of workload Jacobs carried in his five seasons with the Raiders. And ‘there’s one way to find out’ is a risky and reckless approach.

What this leaves is either waiting around to see if any more backs are cut, feeling around to see who might be available via a trade, or — and seemingly the most likely option at this point — looking to the draft for one.

This isn’t considered a particularly strong RB class this year. But in recent years, decent running backs have been found in the mid rounds, so perhaps they can have one fall into their laps there.

Maxx Crosby bids Josh Jacobs farewell ‘Nothing’s changed but the jersey’

Maxx Crosby bids Josh Jacobs heartfelt farewell ‘Nothing’s changed but the jersey’

Once a Raider, always a Raider. And for Maxx Crosby, once a brother, always a brother. And he just watched Raiders teammate and chosen brother Josh Jacobs agree to a deal to join the Green Bay Packers.

Today is a hard day for a lot of NFL players as they watch longtime teammates leave. For Maxx Crosby and Josh Jacobs, they’ve been teammates for their entire five-year careers. That ended today. But their friendship did not. Crosby took to twitter to send Jacobs a hearfelt goodbye.

“Love you for life, brother,” Crosby said to Jacobs. “Nothing’s changed but the jersey. We came in together with similar goals in mind and now look where we’re at. Green Bay got a great one.”

They weren’t just teammates for five years, they were draft classmates. Jacobs was the Raiders’ pick at 24 overall in the first round. Two days later, the Raiders selected Crosby at 105 overall in the fourth round.

Since then, they have been easily the most accomplished players from that 2019 draft. Both heading to multiple Pro Bowls and finding themselves among the Raiders franchise all time records through five seasons.

That earned Crosby a long term extension. It wasn’t enough to keep Jacobs around. The difference between playing a premium position like edge rusher and playing running back which sees its value dwindle year by year in the NFL.

That’s the business of football. But sometimes it’s important to remember these guys are human beings. And their passion is a big part of what makes them great.

Rich Eisen a big fan of Christian Wilkins joining Maxx Crosby on Raiders: ‘Unfair’

Rich Eisen big fan of ‘unfair’ pairing of Christian Wilkins and Maxx Crosby on Raiders

A lot of Raiders fans are super excited about the addition of Christian Wilkins. I have certainly made my feelings on the move clear. I love it. Had Wilkins as the top free agent on the market for the Raiders’ needs.

But if you don’t want to go with my opinion or those of Raider Nation, how about Rich Eisen?

The veteran NFL voice couldn’t say enough good things about the move by the Raiders and pairing him up with “the Condor,” Maxx Crosby.

Eisen got downright poetic while praising the Raiders for the move and imagining the havoc Wilkins and Crosby will create together.

He liked it particularly with regard to the Raiders attempting to accomplish their primary objective of ending the Chiefs’ stranglehold on the AFC West.

“Christian Wilkins requires a ton of attention to stop,” said Eisen. “He is a one-man wrecking machine. But just imagine what he can do with the Condor lined up to his left.

“Maxx Crosby next to Christian Wilkins sounds like an AFC Pro Bowl team,” he continued while also calling the duo “unfair” and lauding the move as “aggressive and smart.”

The Raiders still have many question marks — the quarterback position, for one. Clearly when Eisen recorded this, the news of the Raiders adding Gardner Minshew had not come out. But even if it had, Minshew is not the answer there.

And while the Chiefs dynasty largely surrounds QB Patrick Mahomes, they made Chris Jones a priority as well because they know how crucial having a dominant presence on the interior defensive line is along with consistent pressure on the opposing quarterback. The Raiders have at least checked that box. That’s a good start.

Former Raiders starting RT Jermaine Eluemunor to join Giants on 2-year deal

Raiders have a new starting RT next season as Jermaine Eluemunor is joining the Giants

One of the final big questions regarding Raiders free agents involved whether they would consider bringing back right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor. That question has now been answered with a resounding no as Eluemunor is headed to New York to join the Giants on a two-year deal.

Eluemunor started 45 games over the past three seasons for the Raiders at both guard and tackle, most recently as the every day starting right tackle.

This officially puts the Raiders in the market for a new right tackle. They could end up going with former seventh round pick Thayer Munford there, but even if that were the case, they would likely bring in some competition for the job.

Should they be looking for an upgrade, the draft is said to be deep at the position, so they could look there. Or, possibly they could attempt to sign one in free agency who they feel is an upgrade just as they did in signing Christian Wilkins while letting Bilal Nichols leave (he signed with the Cardinals).

With right guard Greg Van Roten not expected to be back, the Raiders will have a new right side of the offensive line next season.

Gardner Minshew adds potential starter to Raiders QB room, draft insurance

Raiders get a QB! Adding a potential starter and valuable draft insurance

With a glaring need at quarterback, the Raiders were clearly unwilling to wait until the draft and hope they could either trade up to get their guy or have one fall to them at 13. They have gone out and signed one of the few free agent quarterbacks out there, agreeing to terms with Gardner Minshew on a two-year deal.

 

The former sixth round pick out of Washington State has started 37 games with a career record of 15-22. He is coming off a winning season with a 7-6 record for the Colts, nearly leading them to the playoffs and getting a nod for the Pro Bowl as an alternate.

The deal is reportedly for a total of $25 million with $15 million guaranteed and $12.5 million in his first season. Which is a solid deal for both sides.

Most importantly it gives the Raiders a viable option to compete as a starter and leaves open the possibility that they draft a quarterback as well.

Currently the Raiders sit at 13 overall. The draft’s to three QBs are expected to go 1-2-3 and prying the picks away from the Bears, Commanders, and Patriots — all of whom have a glaring need at QB — will be difficult and potentially impossible.

That leaves them with one of the next tier guys — Michigan’s JJ McCarthy, Oregon’s Bo Nix, and Washington’s Michael Penix. None of whom are considered day one starters like the top three and one or more of whom may be considered a reach at 13.

This draft was considered QB or bust for the Raiders, which is a tough spot to be in when you have a pick well outside the top ten. Minshew’s arrival takes some pressure off in that regard. And that’s a valuable thing.

I would still expect the Raiders to try and get one of the top six QBs in this draft. But if they can’t jump up to get one of the top three, getting one of the next three to compete with a veteran with plenty of starting experience doesn’t seem like as much of a risk as hoping for the best at 13 and just handing him whoever they land the keys.

Former Raiders DT Bilal Nichols lands with Cardinals on 3-year deal

Bilal Nichols lands with Cardinals on 3-year deal

A second Raiders starter has become a day one expected free agent signing elsewhere. Josh Jacobs was the first to go — heading to Green Bay — and now it’s Bilal Nichols.

Nichols gets a deal that averages $7 million per season with $14.4 million in guarantees. This for a player who never played up to the two-year deal he got from the Raiders and they were more than fine with allowing to walk.

Nichols had just three combined sacks and eight tackles for loss in two full seasons in Las Vegas.

He had already been replaced in a big way with the expected signing of former Dolphins DT Christian Wilkins who was arguably the big prize of this year’s free agent class.

Nichols getting a solid deal elsewhere is potentially good news for the Raiders. With two starters getting long term deals elsewhere, while they have added just one (Wilkins), they are +1 in the comp pick formula so far.

There are still a few Raiders free agents yet unsigned. Including tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, and guard Greg Van Roten. They will also have to replace those guys, so they are likely not done with adding outside free agents themselves.