Another suitor has entered the mix for Maurice Jones-Drew, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the veteran running back will visit the Raiders tonight and tomorrow. Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets that the two sides hope to close a deal quickly, while Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears from a source that there’s a “good chance” Oakland signs Jones-Drew.
A report earlier in the week suggested that the Steelers, Jets, Dolphins, and Patriots were all in the mix for Jones-Drew, but the Dolphins have since agreed to sign Knowshon Moreno, and a separate report indicated that the Pats haven’t been in contact with MJD. Although the Steelers, and perhaps the Jets, remain in the hunt, Pittsburgh doesn’t have the cap space at the moment to meet the running back’s asking price. The Raiders, on the other hand, certainly aren’t lacking in cap room, even after a handful of free agent signings this month.
The Raiders have re-signed Darren McFadden, but have interest in adding at least one more running back to replace the departed Rashad Jennings. The team was linked to Andre Brown earlier in March, though it appears that possibility hasn’t gained much traction in the last couple weeks. Jones-Drew would make sense as an on-field fit for the Raiders, and a deal with Oakland would land him on the team he grew up rooting for — the California native still lives in the area, according to Rapoport (via Twitter).