Over the last several off-seasons, we’ve seen the Raiders be aggressive in targeting free agents. In 2019, they signed Trent Brown to a massive deal, along with players like Tyrell Williams and Lamarcus Joyner. In 2020, they signed even more free agents, including Cory Littleton, Maliek Collins and Carl Nassib.
Entering the 2021 offseason, the Raiders will have their work cut out for them as they are projected to be $7.6 million over the cap. That’s not completely unexpected, but the team isn’t swimming in cap space, either. Several teams are in worse shape as the cap fell from 2020 due to the pandemic. Luckily, the Raiders have some ways to free up cap space.
One way the Raiders could quickly get under the cap is to release Tyrell Williams. While he is a solid receiver when he’s healthy, there is the problem. He’s missed the entire 2020 season with a foot injury that has bothered him for years. Releasing him alone would save $11.6 million with no dead cap hit.
Another way the Raiders could free up space is to release Pro Bowl right tackle Trent Brown. While there is no question that he is an elite player when he’s on the field, his injury concerns are worrisome, too.
An outright release of Brown would save the team $14 million that they could potentially use on a more reliable right tackle. However, this move is far more unlikely than the release of Williams given the difference in play when on the field.
While the Raiders are currently over the cap, they have plenty of ways to get under and free up space. Releasing players such as Marcus Mariota, Lamarcus Joyner and Richie Incognito alone would free up $25 million for the team to spend in free agency. Given how little those three players contributed this season, those appear to be fairly easy cuts, along with the likes of Tyrell Williams, Jeff Heath and
This team will have money to spend when free agency occurs, but don’t expect them to be quite the same players in the open market as they were over the last two offseason.
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