Raiders left tackle Donald Penn reported to practice Wednesday, bringing his holdout to an end after nearly a month away from the team. Penn sat out for all of training camp, which began July 28, and two of the Raiders’ preseason games. The Raiders could have fined him $40K for each day he was absent, but there’s no word on whether they did.
Penn, who’s in his fourth year with the Raiders, held out in an effort to land a raise over the $5.8MM base salary he’s scheduled to earn this season. Although he’s one of the premier tackles in the NFL, Penn is just 21st among bookends in annual contract value, having inked a two-year, $14MM deal prior to the 2016 campaign. The 34-year-old is seeking top 10 money relative to his position, which would mean upward of $11.25MM per annum, but it doesn’t appear general manager Reggie McKenzie has agreed to give Penn any type of increase yet. Penn reported to practice in a good faith maneuver, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Regardless of whether the Raiders and Penn do find common ground in negotiations, it’s obvious his return is a boon to the Super Bowl hopefuls’ offensive line. The unit is among the best in the league, with fellow top-end starters Kelechi Osemele, Gabe Jackson and Rodney Hudson joining Penn to protect Derek Carr and block for Marshawn Lynch. Penn arguably boasts the most impressive track record of any, having never missed a regular-season game in his 10-year career. Last year, his ninth straight 16-start campaign, Pro Football Focus ranked Penn as the game’s 12th-best tackle.