A Look At The Raiders’ Salary Cap Landscape
The Raiders currently sit with $8.2 million in team cap space, per Over the Cap. So what alternative measures might the team have to make if they want to add the former No.1 overall pick?
Being that we are three weeks away from training camp starting up, the only course of action would be to cut players with little to no guaranteed money left on their contract or by trading them elsewhere.
Here’s a list of how much money the Raiders would save against the cap if each of these players were cut or traded:
- OG Gabe Jackson: $9.6 million
- LB Nicholas Morrow: $3.2 million
- QB Nathan Peterman: $2.1 million
- OT David Sharpe: $2.1 million
- TE Derek Carrier: $1.8 million
- WR Zay Jones: $1.3 million
*All contract figures were obtained per Over the Cap
The task of freeing up additional cap space is certainly feasible. The most notable contract of the bunch is Jackson’s but general manager Mike Mayock told reporters after the conclusion of the NFL Draft that the team’s plan is for him to start at right guard despite adding two in free agency and drafting one in the fourth round.
This move of acquiring Clowney would be a luxury to the Raiders’ defense after already spending top-dollar in free agency earlier this offseason. However, when you evaluate teams around the league who ranked near the top in defensive units, they all had several players who could get after the passer at an alarming rate.
This isn’t a move that the Raiders should feel cornered into making but something that would help them close the gap between them and other playoff worthy teams in the AFC.
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