THURSDAY, 7:50pm: The Raiders have officially signed Irvin, the team announced today (link via CSNBayArea.com).
WEDNESDAY, 9:03am: Irvin’s deal with the Raiders will be worth $37MM over four years, including $12.5MM in the first year, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. The deal has a max value of $39MM if Irvin reaches certain Pro Bowl incentives, per Pelissero (via Twitter).
Courtesy of @ProFootballRumors on Instagram
TUESDAY, 8:06pm: The Raiders have reached an agreement with linebacker Bruce Irvin, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Irvin, like all other unrestricted free agents, must wait until 3pm CT on Wednesday to officially sign.
[RELATED: Raiders, Kelechi Osemele agree to terms]
In Irvin and offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele (whom Oakland agreed to sign earlier today), the Raiders have added two of the league’s most coveted free agents — Irvin ranked sixth among PFR’s Top 50 free agents while Osemele ranked fourth. Oakland entered the free agent period with more than $60MM in available cap space, and thus far, they’ve put that money to good use, scoring impressive coups on both sides of the ball.
The Raiders had not been mentioned as a potential suitor for Irvin, so this signing is all the more surprising given that Oakland’s interest had not been reported. Rather, the Jaguars and Falcons — each of whom employ former Seahawks defensive coordinators as head coaches — were thought to be among the favorites to land Irvin, and a report earlier today tied the Cardinals to the edge rusher, as well.
Instead, Irvin will head to the Bay Area, where the Raiders are quietly assembling a solid defense to pair with an offense that is already full of young stars. Irvin will team with Khalil Mack, who posted 15 sacks last year, to form an imposing duo sure to put fear in opposing quarterbacks. Oakland needs more pieces on the defensive side of the ball, to be sure, but Mack and Irvin — along with solid role players like Dan Williams and David Amerson — are a nice start.
A former first-round pick, Irvin became a full-time starter during his sophomore campaign, and has started 37 contests since that time. His sack numbers aren’t eye-popping — he’s totaled just 12 sacks during the past two seasons — but he ranked as the league’s No. 18 linebacker in 2015, per Pro Football Focus. In a scheme different than the Seahawks’, where he’s one of the primary rushers, Irvin should be expected to top those sack totals.
As Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times notes (via Twitter), it’s possible that Ken Norton Jr.‘s presence on the Raiders’ coaching staff made a difference in Oakland being able to land Irvin. Norton Jr. — who is now Oakland’s defensive coordinator — was Irvin’s linebackers coach during his first three seasons in Seattle.
From the Seahawks perspective, losing Irvin is another reminder than a contending club can’t afford to keep everyone. After extending Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright, and others on defense, Irvin was the odd man out, and Seattle seemed to know that it had no chance to retain Irvin — although, the Hawks could have kept Irvin for one more season had it exercised its fifth-year option.
Depending on the value of Irvin’s new deal with Oakland, the Seahawks figure to earn a compensatory pick (likely either in the third or fourth round) in the 2017 draft.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Better than last year’s FA lb choice
Not really surprising since Ken Norton Jr was the linebackers coach in Seattle prior to taking the defensive coordinator job in Oakland. And Oakland had a ton of money to throw at him. Oakland is on the come up
Are they running a 4-3 or 3-4? And what does this mean for Aldon?
Oakland runs a 3-4/4-3 hybrid, a scheme Irvin could excel in. I’m guessing Aldon Smith is still in the cards, I look at this as more of an insurance policy on Edwards Jr, who’s career may be over after just 12 pro games.
You guys do know that Smith is suspended for the year right?
Not the year 9 games so he is in the cards for this year
The Raiders could have a very good team this year. They have an explosive offense and the defense just got a whole lot better. Now they just need some help at DB
This is a decent signing for the Raiders now all the 49er fans that are switching back to Oakland since they will be better they can root for him instead of against him. Norton will use him the correct way. Not a Raider fan but the fans who understand what his role is instead of just looking at sack totals will like him.
I love this move. Can never have too much pass rush. He, Mack, Edwards, and Smith (if he’s re-signed) should make for a formidable defensive front. They could still use help in the defensive backfield though. I would love to snatch McLeod from LA, but I haven’t heard much about his market. Anyone have an idea about how much he could be looking for?
It will be interesting to see how the Raiders use Irvin, who should see more pass-rushing opportunities in Oakland. It will be interesting to see what the price tag is, because the Raiders are most definitely making the impact that could be expected from a team that needed to spend money to improve and meet the CBA-mandated financial quota. But corner and safety were arguably the Silver and Black’s biggest needs, so you’d expect an announcement for Sean Smith or Eric Weddle soon. These explosive agreements can allow the Raiders to direct their pursuits of back-four help now.