Heading into the draft, there were still a few solid veterans on the market at the cornerback position. And many were still calling for the Raiders to make a move on one of them. The two names that were most associated with the Raiders were Casey Hayward and Richard Sherman, mainly because both played under Raiders’ new defensive coordinator, Gus Bradley.
The problem was, the Raiders had no cap room to add anyone. So, if they were to add someone, it would mean someone else had to go. And in order for the team to get a handle on just who should stay and who should go, they had to wait to see what they landed in the draft.
What they landed was the consensus best safety in the draft after trading up from No. 48 to No. 43 in the second round. With Trevon Moehrig now a Raider, it made Jeff Heath expendable. And days after the draft had concluded, they reeled in one of those veteran free agents still on the market, landing Casey Hayward and cutting Heath.
Heath’s release freed up $3.15 million in cap room in order to make it possible to sign Hayward.
With little to no wiggle room in terms of cap space for the Raiders, the details of Hayward’s deal pretty much had to be at very least an even swap. Turns out Heyward’s initial deal is slightly more affordable.
The former Pro Bowl cornerback will make a reported $2.5 million this season with incentives that could max out at $4 million.
Casey Hayward (Las Vegas Raiders) one-year maximum value $4 million deal includes $1M signing bonus, $1.5M base salary (fully guaranteed)
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) May 10, 2021
The net savings in terms of the cap hit right now is $650K. That seems like a pretty good deal for a longtime starter and former Pro Bowler who has been a key part of Bradley’s top-10 pass defense with the Chargers for four seasons.
Hayward will compete with Damon Arnette and Rasul Douglas for one of the Raiders’ starting cornerback jobs alongside Trayvon Mullen.
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