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Raiders Rework Maxx Crosby’s Contract

May 23rd, 2024 at 8:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders are rewarding their top defender. Having Maxx Crosby under contract through the 2026 season, the Raiders will still take a step to increase the Pro Bowl edge rusher’s near-future earnings.

An additional $6MM on Crosby’s deal will be moved into 2024, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. Crosby was set to make $19MM in base salary — an amount that is fully guaranteed — this season. The team also moved $1.2MM in Crosby money for the 2025 season. None of Crosby’s 2025 salary ($21MM) was to be guaranteed.

No new years will be added to the deal, per Schefter, though the Raiders are attempting to express interest in keeping Crosby beyond his current contract. The team rebuffed trade interest in Crosby before the 2023 deadline. Some of Crosby’s 2026 money is likely being shifted, and it would stand to reason the Raiders will be interested in extending their standout edge defender before that 2026 season begins.

When Crosby signed his four-year, $94MM extension, he was coming off seven- and eight-sack seasons. Although Crosby broke through with 30 QB hits to help the Raiders to the playoffs in 2021, the Eastern Michigan alum has since topped his career-high in sacks twice while on his second contract. Crosby totaled 12.5 sacks in 2022 and 14.5 last season. In both years, the Jon Gruden-era draftee led the NFL in tackles for loss — 22 in 2022, 23 in 2023.

This marks an interesting decision due to the personnel running the Raiders presently. Although Gruden and former GM Mike Mayock drafted Crosby, the consistent pressure producer signed his extension early during the Josh McDaniels–Dave Ziegler pairing’s tenure. GM Tom Telesco will authorize this adjustment, signaling he and HC Antonio Pierce are interested — naturally, as Crosby has proven one of the best draft picks in recent NFL history — in keeping the sixth-year veteran around beyond this $23.5MM-per-year deal.

The Gruden-Mayock period produced a handful of poor draft decisions, but Crosby was unquestionably the best move to come out of that stretch. Crosby also memorably provided key support for Pierce’s bid to become the Raiders’ full-time HC. A mid-January report pegged Crosby as ready to explore a trade request if the Raiders did not remove Pierce’s interim tag. Mark Davis, who regretted not making this move for Rich Bisaccia in 2022, soon named Pierce the full-time HC; Pierce is the first NFL interim leader since Doug Marrone in 2017 to move into a full-time HC role.

The Raiders used free agency (Chandler Jones) and the first round (Tyree Wilson) to equip Crosby with a better supporting cast post-Yannick Ngakoue. After trading Ngakoue, Las Vegas saw the Jones signing backfire in spectacular fashion. Wilson did not make many contributions as a rookie, though 2021 third-rounder Malcolm Koonce did emerge as an intriguing option opposite Crosby. For the most part, however, the Raiders’ defense has relied on Crosby to generate pressure since the Ngakoue trade. They paid up for Christian Wilkins, signing off on a $28MM-per-year deal (with $57.5MM fully guaranteed) in March. Wilkins’ guarantee at signing more than doubled Crosby’s ($26.5MM).

Teams do not regularly authorize extensions for players who have three contract years remaining, so this represents a half-measure of sorts. Since Crosby’s deal came to pass in March 2022, a host of edge rusher extensions have dropped the Raiders’ top gun to ninth at the position. Crosby, whose 97 QB hits since 2021 trail only Nick Bosa‘s count (115), will see some more money after performing well in the first two years of his extension.

The Biggest Wide Receiver Contract In Each Team’s History

May 22nd, 2024 at 9:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

This offseason has brought changes to the wide receiver market, but a host of wideouts chosen early in the 2020 draft have taken center stage. Most NFL teams have authorized a big-ticket (by today’s standards) deal for a wide receiver. Ranked by guaranteed money and excluding rookie contracts and accords acquired via trade, here is the most lucrative WR deal in each franchise’s history.

Arizona Cardinals

Larry Fitzgerald‘s seven-year, $113MM extension (August 2011) holds the Cardinals standard for total value, but Hopkins’ pact checks in higher in terms of guarantees and AAV.

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

In total, Michael Crabtree‘s 2018 deal (worth $21MM) and Derrick Mason‘s 2005 agreement ($20MM) surpass Beckham’s. But the 2023 Baltimore rental’s guarantee came in higher.

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

The Browns have featured three higher-paid receivers on their roster since Landry’s contract, but both Odell Beckham Jr. and Amari Cooper arrived via trade and played on contracts designed by other teams. Jerry Jeudy‘s AAV ($17.5MM) on his 2024 extension also outpaces Landry’s, though the recent trade pickup’s total guarantee falls short here.

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Courtland Sutton‘s 2021 extension carries a higher AAV ($15MM) but included $18.85MM guaranteed.

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

DeAndre Hopkins‘ 2017 re-up included more in total value but a lower AAV and guarantee

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Tyreek Hill‘s 2022 extension tops his teammate for AAV ($30MM) but came in just south for guarantees ($72.2MM)

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

JuJu Smith-Schuster‘s 2023 deal trails Agholor’s in AAV but carried the same full guarantee. Danny Amendola‘s full payout ($28.5MM) in 2013 tops both deals.

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Allen Lazard‘s 2023 deal and Santonio Holmes‘ contract back in 2011 brought more in total value ($44MM and $45MM, respectively) but did not match Davis’ for guarantees.

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Antonio Brown‘s four-year, $68MM extension in 2017 also included a $19MM guarantee at signing but trailed Johnson’s in terms of total guarantees.

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Chris Godwin‘s 2022 deal beats Evans’ for at-signing guarantees ($40MM), while the all-time Bucs receiving leader’s 2024 agreement leads the way in AAV ($20.5MM).

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/22/24

May 22nd, 2024 at 7:22pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Jets

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Earnest Brown was a fifth-round pick by the Rams back in 2021. He collected 14 tackles in 12 games through his first two seasons in Los Angeles, but he didn’t get into a single game with the big-league club during the 2023 campaign. He wasn’t retained via a futures contract this offseason, allowing him to catch on with the 49ers. He was waived by San Francisco earlier this month.

He’ll be taking the roster spot previously held by Patrick Laird, who spent the past two seasons on Tampa Bay’s practice squad. The former UDFA previously got into 37 games for the Dolphins between 2019 and 2021, collecting 533 yards from scrimmage. The Buccaneers added a pair of undrafted running backs in D.J. Williams and Ramon Jefferson, so the team may prefer to opt for a rookie on the taxi squad.

Owners Concerned About Tom Brady Conflict Of Interest In Raiders Ownership Role

May 22nd, 2024 at 12:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

MAY 22: A Brady policy of sorts will need to be discussed if the Raiders agreement is eventually approved, per Roger Goodell (via Maske). The longtime commissioner mentioned the former QB’s access to team facilities as an issue if/once he becomes a minority owner.

This is still on hold, however. The latest round of owner meetings came and went without a vote on Brady’s Raiders stake, Maske adds. Despite the progress being made, Goodell said issues remain. Brady’s TV career appears a key matter. More than a year has now passed since Brady agreed to buy a stake in the AFC West franchise, and while Goodell discussing the topic keeps it on the radar, NFL owners continue to delay this matter.

MAY 17: In the news lately for his much-discussed roast and a mention of a possible in-season comeback, Tom Brady is months away from beginning his career as a play-by-play analyst. The legendary quarterback will cover the Cowboys-Browns matchup for FOX in Week 1.

While some doubt about Brady following through with his broadcasting deal existed, we are moving close to a rare setup in which the NFL’s most famous player calls games for a network. This gig will allow Brady access to team facilities during the lead-up to games. Hans Schroeder, CEO of NFL media, said (via Fox Sports’ Greg Auman) no limitations regarding which games Brady can or cannot cover are in place.

The subject of limitations pertaining to Brady’s new role has come up due to his ongoing quest to become a part-owner of the Raiders. In May 2023, Brady agreed to purchase a stake of Mark Davis‘ franchise. The agreement, however, is still not official. Although concerns about the stake price Davis set for Brady have been resolved, the conflict-of-interest issue remains. With Brady now firmly on track to start his analyst career this season, the Washington Post’s Mark Maske reports some in the ownership ranks have expressed issues with him receiving access to team practices and facilities for his FOX role.

Should Brady ultimately be approved as a Raiders minority owner, teams will naturally be leery about sharing information with him while he is representing FOX. This would put questions to either the NFL or certain teams about limiting the future Hall of Famer’s access ahead of broadcasting assignments. The issue of a universal Brady policy taking effect or if his access will be determined on a team-by-team basis has come up, Maske adds.

The prospect of Brady’s status changing if he is approved as a Raiders part-owner does appear to be in play. Schroeder left this door open by qualifying the NFL’s no-limitations stance re: Brady by saying (via Maske), “Right now, Tom’s not an owner of the Raiders.” If the 46-year-old QB-turned-announcer is approved, this will make for an interesting chapter in NFL broadcasting history.

A February report indicated Brady’s path to becoming a Raiders part-owner was clearing up, but during the latest round of meetings in late March, no discussions about a vote on this matter are believed to have taken place. No Brady ownership talk occurred at the December owners meetings, either. Brady’s ownership route remains on hold, but it is not closed off yet. Brady said last year he plans to plav a “very passive” role as a minority owner, though a November report pointed to him being involved in the Raiders’ HC and GM hiring process. This job at FOX — one Brady delayed for a year in an effort to better prepare himself following his second retirement as a player — continues to generate understandable concerns among teams.

Brady, who co-owns the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces with Davis, did see an effort to become a player/owner with the Dolphins nixed — to the point the team lost first- and third-round picks and saw its owner suspended — and the NFL may soon need to make another decision on a dual role involving the former Patriots and Buccaneers QB.

Raiders Legend Jim Otto Passes Away

May 20th, 2024 at 5:49pm CST by Ben Levine

Hall of Fame offensive lineman and Raiders legend Jim Otto has passed away. Otto was 86 years old. The team has confirmed the news.

“The personification of consistency, Jim’s influence on the American Football League and professional football as a whole cannot be overstated,” the Raiders said in a statement. “His leadership and tenacity were a hallmark of the dominant Raider teams of the 1960s and 70s, and his ferocious work ethic and talent enabled him to start a remarkable 210 consecutive league games for the Oakland Raiders.”

Otto joined the franchise for their inaugural season in 1960 and proceeded to appear in every game for the organization over the next 15 years. The center earned nine AFL All-Pro nods through his first 10 professional seasons, including a 1967 campaign where the Raiders won the AFL Championship. Otto was one of three players to appear in every AFL game through the league’s 10-year existence.

“Mr. Raider” quickly established himself as one of the NFL’s premier offensive linemen following the merger in 1970, with Otto earning three Pro Bowl selections in his five seasons in the league. The Miami (FL) product finished his professional career in 1974 after having appeared in 210 regular season contests.

Otto was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1980. He also continued to have a presence with the Raiders organization, even following their move to Las Vegas in 2020. As The Associated Press notes, Otto was most recently seen in the team’s locker room following their 2023 season finale.

Widely known for the ’00’ on his jersey, Otto “was the foundational piece of a transcendent offensive line that not only propelled the Raiders to success on the field but resonated with fans and helped build the Raiders persona and mystique,” as the team wrote in their statement.

We here at PFR would like to extend our condolences to Otto’s family, friends, and colleagues.

Lions To Add Tom Roth, Raiders’ Dwayne Joseph To Staff

May 15th, 2024 at 1:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite multiple changes atop the Raiders‘ front office, Dwayne Joseph stayed with the team in recent years. Brought in during Mike Mayock‘s GM tenure, Joseph lasted through Dave Ziegler‘s short run in charge. But the veteran exec is now moving on.

In place as the Raiders’ director of pro personnel, Joseph will not make it far past Tom Telesco‘s first draft as the team’s GM. Joseph recently left the Raiders for a Lions position, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore. The Lions are also hiring former Titans area scout Tom Roth, according to InsidetheLeague.com’s Neil Stratton.

The Raiders hired Joseph shortly after the 2019 draft, bringing him over after an Eagles tenure. As retooling continues in Las Vegas, the Raiders will separate from a staffer who held the same position under Mayock and Ziegler. Prior to following Mayock to Oakland, Joseph spent four years as the Eagles’ pro scouting director. Joseph collected a Super Bowl ring for his efforts under Howie Roseman in the 2010s.

Joseph, 51, played one season in the NFL, seeing action in 16 games with the 1995 Bears, after a career at Syracuse. He interviewed for the Raiders’ GM job in 2022; despite that position going to Ziegler, the Raiders kept Joseph on. The Raiders decided on Telesco over Champ Kelly for GM. While Mark Davis wanted Kelly to remain with the team as assistant GM, Joseph will end up departing in the wake of the Telesco hire.

Telesco brought over former Chargers interim GM JoJo Wooden as his senior director of player personnel. Although Wooden and Joseph overlapped as Syracuse defensive teammates under Paul Pasqualoni for multiple seasons in the early 1990s, the duo will separate shortly after Wooden’s Vegas arrival.

The Titans, who are retooling their scouting department in second-year GM Ran Carthon‘s second offseason, parted ways with Roth earlier this month. Roth was with the Titans for six years, coming to Tennessee during Jon Robinson‘s GM tenure. He spent the previous 14 years with the Bills. Roth and Joseph will join a Lions front office that lost longtime senior player personnel director Lance Newmark (to the Commanders) earlier this offseason. Joseph and Roth’s Detroit titles are not yet known.

Raiders Were Not Prepared To Trade Up For Michael Penix Jr.

May 14th, 2024 at 9:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Six quarterbacks going in this draft’s first 12 picks left the Raiders in limbo, setting up a Gardner Minshew–Aidan O’Connell competition. For a second straight year, the team did extensive work on a QB class only to pass on making a move to select one in Round 1.

The Josh McDaniels–Dave Ziegler power duo arranged meetings with last year’s top five QB prospects, only to stay at No. 7 and draft Tyree Wilson. This year, as a report tabbed Antonio Pierce as more eager to trade up compared to GM Tom Telesco, the Raiders were closely linked to Jayden Daniels and Michael Penix Jr. Daniels proved out of reach, despite the team being the club that most likely sent the Commanders the only offer for No. 2 overall, and Penix came off the board earlier than expected.

The Falcons’ move at No. 8 affected multiple franchises. It convinced the Broncos to stop entertaining trade-down scenarios involving Bo Nix, as the Raiders loomed at No. 13. With Nix going at No. 12, the move also will likely precede a number of Raiders connections to 2025 QB prospects. The Raiders placed a value gap between this year’s top three QBs (Daniels, Caleb Williams, Drake Maye) and the other three first-rounders, and ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler furthers that view by indicating the team would have considered Penix at No. 13 but was not prepared to trade up for him.

Las Vegas also viewed a trade-down option as viable for Penix, with Fowler indicating the team did not want to reach in Round 1. Trading down quickly became moot for the Raiders, as the Falcons installed Penix behind Kirk Cousins. Sean Payton correctly pegged the Vikings as being J.J. McCarthy fans, as the team moved in front of the Broncos (via the Jets) for the Michigan product, and the Raiders as being high on Penix. With the southpaw prospect in Atlanta, Las Vegas has what appears to be a transition year ahead.

Penix’s early NFL path would have certainly been much different had the Raiders deemed it a priority to come out of Round 1 with a quarterback. Rather than being on track to join Jordan Love as the only first-round QBs in the rookie-scale contract era (2011-present) to sit for more than one season, Penix almost definitely would have been set to debut in 2024 had the Raiders picked him. The six-year college QB joins Nix and Daniels as going into his age-24 season, but with $100MM in practical guarantees due to Cousins, Penix’s QB1 ETA may not be until at least his age-26 season.

A “best player available”-type pick transpired instead for the Raiders, who took Brock Bowers. Pierce denied Terrion Arnold‘s assertion the team flipped a coin to decide between the Alabama cornerback and Georgia tight end, who will follow 2023 second-round pick Michael Mayer to Vegas. Bowers will be expected to become an instant contributor, creating an interesting setup for Mayer — last year’s No. 35 overall pick.

The Raiders did not need to trade up for Will Levis last year, as the Kentucky prospect tumbled out of Round 1, but were not as interested in passers as their “30” visit log suggested. A year after that smokescreen effort, Las Vegas did meet with Penix, Daniels and Nix. But the team’s long-term QB need remains unfilled.

This represents good news for Minshew, who will be the favorite to start — based on the two-year, $25MM ($15MM guaranteed) deal he agreed to hours into the legal tampering period — in 2024. By 2025, however, the Raiders should be expected to go through another exhaustive run of QB research.

Raiders Sign OL Jackson Powers-Johnson, Finalize Draft Class

May 13th, 2024 at 2:36pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Raiders announced on Monday that second-round pick Jackson Powers-Johnson has inked his rookie contract. As a result, all eight members of the team’s draft class are now attached to their initial NFL deals.

The offensive tackle class was a headliner in 2024, but Powers-Johnson was one of the top interior blockers available. The Oregon product served as a full-time starter over the past two seasons, establishing himself as one of the most well-regarded interior linemen in college football during that span.

Powers-Johnson spent much of his time at right guard in 2022, but last season he was used exclusively a center. That produced a stellar campaign for the 6-3, 328-pounder; Powers-Johnson won the Rimington Trophy as the country’s top center (becoming the first Pac-12 player to do so). He was also named a unanimous first-team All-American, helping cement his draft stock.

Graham Barton was the only center to hear his name called on Day 1 of the draft, but Powers-Johnson (just like Zach Frazier) was selected in the second round. Starting roles likely await all three players in their rookie seasons, but Powers-Johnson is positioned to start his NFL tenure at right guard. The Raiders used Greg Van Roten at that spot last season, but he is unsigned.

Vegas has added Cody Whitehair to the fold as an interior blocker with starting experience. The same is also true of Andrus Peat, who has seen time at both tackle and guard and signed a deal last week. Those veterans will give head coach Antonio Pierce a number of potential combinations (alongside Powers-Johnson) to consider as training camp takes place.

Here is the full breakdown of the Raiders’ 2024 draft class:

Tom Telesco: Raiders To Hold QB Competition Between Aidan O’Connell, Gardner Minshew

May 10th, 2024 at 10:12pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Raiders were among the teams most frequently linked to a move up the first-round draft order aimed at securing one of the class’ top quarterbacks. Jayden Daniels in particular was a key target, and head coach Antonio Pierce was reportedly more willing than general manager Tom Telesco to put together a trade-up move on Day.

In the end, though, Vegas retained the No. 13 pick. Somewhat surprisingly, that allowed the team to add tight end Brock Bowers, one of the prospects deemed a lock to hear his name called in the top 10. Bowers – who has inked his rookie deal – will no doubt play a notable role during his rookie season, but it remains to be seen who he will be catching passes from in 2024.

The Raiders turned to Aidan O’Connell to close out the 2023 season. As a rookie, the former fourth-rounder posted a passer rating of 83.9 while registering a 12:7 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He drew praise from Pierce ahead of the draft, with the latter suggesting O’Connell would be in pole position for any summer QB competition. His rival for the QB1 spot, of course, is veteran Gardner Minshew.

After serving as the Colts’ starter for much of the 2023 campaign, Minshew inked a two-year, $25MM deal in free agency. The 27-year-old is far more experienced than O’Connell, and he could provide the Raiders with a higher floor during the transition to a new coaching staff this year. Both passers will have an avenue to the starting gig this summer, though.

“That’s the plan is to have both those guys really compete through the offseason program, but more so in training camp, and we’ll see how it plays out,” Telesco said of O’Connell and Minshew during an appearance on NFL Total Access. “I thought Aidan did an excellent job last year in a really difficult situation where the head coach changed, the coordinator changed, and he played really good football down the stretch.

“And then with Gardner, you know, Gardner played well last year with the Colts. I mean, he was in the Pro Bowl, so obviously had a pretty good year. He’s always performed at a high level when he’s given that opportunity, so to have both those guys here competing for the job, we’ll see how it goes.”

Six signal-callers were drafted in the first round, and at least three of them (Caleb Williams, Daniels and Bo Nix) will likely begin the season atop the depth chart. The other Day 1 selections – Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr. and J.J. McCarthy – are positioned to take over as QB1 in the relatively near future on their respective teams. That will likely lead to few genuine training camp competitions under center in 2024, but the Raiders will be a team to watch closely on that front.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/10/24

May 10th, 2024 at 9:13pm CST by Ely Allen

Yesterday’s rush of rookie signings continued today. Here are Friday’s draft pick signings:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

  • K Will Reichard (sixth round, Alabama)
  • C Michael Jurgens (seventh round, Wake Forest)
  • DT Levi Drake Rodriguez (seventh round, Texas A&M-Commerce)

New England Patriots

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • G Mason McCormick (fourth round, South Dakota State)
  • DT Logan Lee (sixth round, Iowa)

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

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