Donald Penn caught Raider Nation by surprise by not reporting to Training Camp. Still recovering from the news of the release of Austin Howard yesterday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com announced that Donald Penn didn’t report to Raiders training camp.
Uh oh: #Raiders standout LT Donald Penn is not reporting for training camp, source said. He's unhappy with his contract.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 28, 2017
That is one curveball I wasn’t expecting.
#Raiders know of Donald Penn's unhappiness. He makes $7M but has graded as a top 10 LT vs the top pass-rushers. Wants to be paid like one
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 28, 2017
Last year, Pro Football Focus graded Penn out as the twelfth best overall tackle and was given an 86.3 grade. Although he has indeed performed at a high level, it will be difficult to get a long-term contract as he will be 34 years old when the 2017 season starts.
On the other hand, and even if Penn doesn’t get a new contract, the Raiders can boost his contract just like the New England Patriots did with Rob Gronkowski and Patrick Chung earlier this year.
This news is still in its early development; stay tuned as the Raiders’ Training Camp just got more interesting.