The key to building a championship roster is finding good players on cheap contracts. Look no further than the Kansas City Chiefs, who were able to win with not only Patrick Mahomes on a cheap deal, but also the likes of Chris Jones, Mecole Hardman and Juan Thornhill.
Luckily for the Raiders, they have quite a few players on team-friendly deals. A few of the best values on the roster include Josh Jacobs, Trayvon Mullen and Kolton Miller. However, the best deal on the roster (by far) is defensive end Maxx Crosby.
In a recent by Brent Sobleksi of Bleacher Report, he named each team’s best contract entering the 2020 season. Not surprisingly, Crosby made the list as he is scheduled to count for only $870,566 against the cap this season. Take a look at Sobleski’s thoughts on Crosby and his contract:
Crosby finished second among rookies last season with 10 sacks. To make the situation even more beneficial for the Raiders, general manager Mike Mayock didn’t select the standout defensive end until the fourth round. His base salary won’t exceed $1 million at any point over the next three seasons.
Plus, the Raiders should expect the 2019 106th overall pick to get better this year and beyond after the organization hired Rod Marinelli to serve as the defensive line coach. Marinelli is a legendary position coach with a history of maximizing his players’ outputs.
Marinelli does have a strong history of being able to develop defensive ends, especially those with top-end athleticism and effort. Don’t be surprised if the former Eastern Michigan defensive end is even better in 2020 now that he has a year under his belt. And if he can continue to improve, Crosby’s contract will only keep looking better and better.
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