Tag: Alexander Mattison

What Condition the Position is in: Assessing Raiders level of need at RB ahead of the Draft

What Condition Raiders RB Position is in heading into the Draft

With the Draft just weeks away, it’s time to check in on the Raiders’ running back position to give it a condition of either Strong, Stable, Unstable, Serious, or Critical.

Starters: Zamir White, Alexander Mattison
Backups: Ameer Abdullah, Brittain Brown, Sincere McCormick, Tyreik McAllister

White played well in the final five games of last season after Josh Jacobs was lost to injury. But new GM Tom Telesco made it clear he didn’t want a workhorse back, but rather a committee in the backfield. Mattison has been a part time player for most of his five-year NFL career. He put up a career-high 700 yards on 180 carries last season along with 30 catches for 192 yards and three touchdowns.

Condition: Stable

Notes: From the looks of it, the Raiders have the duo they like in White and Mattison. Though the depth is suspect. I wouldn’t put it past them to take a running back in this draft, but it would likely be no higher than a day three pick should someone they like happen to be there later than they expected.

Former Vikings RB Alexander Mattison to sign with Raiders

The former Vikings running back has a new home

After the Minnesota Vikings released him before the start of free agency, running back Alexander Mattison has a new home.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Las Vegas Raiders have agreed to terms with the running back.

Mattison was given the chance to start in 2023 but wasn’t able to put up the requisite production needed to stay for the final year of his contract. He rushed for 700 yards but failed to score a touchdown on the ground.

Mattison heads to a Raiders team that just lost Josh Jacobs in free agency to the Green Bay Packers and will have an opportunity to carve out a good sized role in Las Vegas.
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Former Vikings RB Alexander Mattison signs on with Raiders

Raiders are adding former Vikings RB Alexander Mattison

Considered the best running back still yet to be signed, Alexander Mattison visited the Raiders facility today. And they didn’t let him leave.

Mattison wasn’t as highly touted as the many of the backs that went in the first wave, but at just 25 years old, his arrow is pointing up.

The five-year veteran is coming off his best season, with career highs in starts (13), carries (180), rushing yards (700), receptions (30), and yards from scrimmage (892).

Though he hasn’t cracked four yards per carry the past three seasons, he has shown steady improvement in that area, going from 3.7 ypc to 3.8 ypc to 3.9 ypc over the past three seasons.

Mattison teams up with Zamir White to give the Raiders their 1-2 punch out of the backfield which they were looking for. And assuming his deal is a far cry from the $14.8 million Josh Jacobs got from the Packers, and with White on his rookie contract, the Raiders should get good value from their backfield this season.

Report: Free agent RB Alexander Mattison to visit Raiders

Raiders finally looking at a running back in free agency

Raiders new GM Tom Telesco has said he would like a running back by committee approach. Meanwhile he let Josh Jacobs go, leaving just Zamir White. The big first wave of free agent running back went pretty quick. Now the Raiders are getting to work.

The first reports of the Raiders going after a new back is having former Vikings running back Alexander Mattison for a visit.

Mattison seems like a prime candidate for a shared carry situation.

The former third round pick has appeared in 70 games over the past four seasons for the Vikings. He’s coming off his best season with 13 starts and career highs in rushing (700 yards) and receiving (192 yards, three TD’s).

His yards per carry hasn’t been great, however. He has not cracked four yards per carry the past three seasons. And he had zero rushing TD’s last season.

It would a homecoming of sorts for Mattison who grew up just three hours down I-15 in San Bernardino California.

Report: Minnesota Vikings were in on Tony Pollard sweepstakes

Minnesota Vikings inquired about signing former Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard

The Athletic’s Senior NFL insider Dianna Russini reports that before signing with the Tennessee Titans, the 26-year-old running back had a sizeable market, including the Minnesota Vikings.

According to Russini, the Cowboys looked to retain Pollard, while the New York Giants and Vikings tried their hand at luring him away before Pollard took the larger contract offered to him by Tennessee.

With the signing of Jonathan Greenard, it seems that Minnesota could be looking to use this free agency period to get younger at some key spots. Releasing Alexander Mattison before the start of free agency made running back an area of concern, especially after Minnesota’s subpar efforts to run the football last season. There needed to be another contributor besides third-year veteran Ty Chandler.

The running back market has deteriorated over the past few years, so addressing the position through free agency isn’t as taxing as it was, say five years ago. However, there still needs to be caution when addressing the position using the veteran market. Pollard is a good running back and for the right cost, could be a good three-down back for a team. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the right price for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings.

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15 free agents the Ravens can sign that don’t count against compensatory picks

We’re looking at 15 free agents the Baltimore Ravens can sign that don’t count against compensatory picks for 2025

The NFL’s new league is less than a week away. With the legal tampering period scheduled to start on Monday, Baltimore will look to retool on defense while making cost-effective decisions.

All-Pro pass defensive tackle Justin Madubuike is the biggest concern this offseason after getting the franchise tag, but the Ravens must also navigate 26 looming free agents.

GM Eric DeCosta has clarified that he’s prepared to lose several key starters and retool via the draft with a handful of 2025 compensatory picks.

The formula is simple.

If you lose more unrestricted free agents than you sign, you are eligible for that many compensatory selections. What round they come is determined by how big their contract is.

DeCosta and other general managers can take advantage of the rule by signing players released before their contract expires. Those players don’t count toward the formula.

According to Over The Cap, plenty of players who can help the team and not detract from the formula will be available.

Here are 15 players Baltimore could sign that wouldn’t count against 2025 compensatory picks.

15 free agents the Eagles can sign that don’t count against 2025 compensatory picks

We’re looking at 15 free agents the Philadelphia Eagles can sign that don’t count against compensatory picks for 2025

The NFL’s new league is less than a week away. With the legal tampering period scheduled to start on Monday, Philadelphia will look to retool on defense while making cost-effective decisions.

All-Pro pass rusher Haason Reddick is the biggest concern this offseason, but the Eagles must also navigate 20 looming free agents.

GM Howie Roseman has clarified that he’s prepared to lose several key starters and retool via the draft with a handful of 2025 compensatory picks.

The formula is simple.

If you lose more unrestricted free agents than you sign, you are eligible for that many compensatory selections. What round they come is determined by how big their contract is.

Roseman and other general managers can take advantage of the rule by signing players released before their contract expires. Those players don’t count toward the formula.

According to Over The Cap, plenty of players who can help the team and not detract from the formula will be available.

Here are 15 players Philadelphia could sign that wouldn’t count against 2025 compensatory picks.

A former George Paton running back is now available

The Vikings officially cut RB Alexander Mattison on Monday. George Paton was Minnesota’s VP of player personnel when they drafted Mattison.

The Minnesota Vikings officially released running back Alexander Mattison on Monday, a move that will save the team $3.35 million in salary cap space.

The Denver Broncos won’t break down the door to sign Mattison, but they might be a team to watch as the running back considers his free agent options.

Broncos general manager George Paton was serving as Minnesota’s assistant general manager and vice president of player personnel when the Vikings used a third-round pick to select Mattison in the 2019 NFL draft.

That’s not to say Paton will go out of his way to sign Mattison now, but it is a connection worth noting. The 25-year-old running back rushed for 2,370 yards and 11 touchdowns in 75 games (19 starts) in Minnesota. He also totaled 718 receiving yards and six scores.

Denver has Javonte Williams, Samaje Perine, Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie set to return in 2024, but the team could use another RB. The Broncos could draft a cheaper running back in April, but if the price is right, Mattison might be a candidate to reunite with Paton.

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Minnesota Vikings release RB Alexander Matison

After it was reported last week, the Minnesota Vikings officially released running back Alexander Mattison on Monday.

After the report came out last week, the Minnesota Vikings made it official by releasing running back Alexander Mattison on Monday afternoon.

The move will save the Vikings $3.35 million in salary cap space for the 2024 season. Initially, the thought was that a release would only save $600,000 but what the guarantees were wasn’t reported correctly at the time of the contract.

Mattison wasn’t fully guaranteed the $2.7 million of his $3.3 million salary but it was guaranteed on the third day of the league year in 2024. The move also signals the Vikings desire to add a running back to the room for the 2024 season and beyond to pair with Ty Chandler.

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Vikings to save $3.35 million with release of Alexander Mattison

The Minnesota Vikings are set to save $3.35 million in salary cap space with the release of running back Alexander Matison.

The Minnesota Vikings informed running back Alexander Mattison of his release on Thursday. The initial numbers showed that he would cost $4 million in dead money on the salary cap.

According to multiple sources including Over The Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald, Mattison’s $2.75 million in guaranteed salary for 2024 wasn’t fully guaranteed like initially thought. That money was set to fully guarantee on March 15th, the third day of the league year.

This sets the Vikings up in a better spot than initially thought. They will sit about $39 million under the salary cap before they choose to make any other moves to create salary cap space.

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