The 2021 offseason is going to be a very difficult year for every general manager around the league for a variety of reasons, and things won’t be any different for the Las Vegas Raiders. One of the biggest difficulties general manager Mike Mayock will face is how to get out of the red. Due to the reduced cap space, the team may need to move on from a few players.
The Las Vegas Raiders may need to trim their roster
This offseason will the first time in many years the cap won’t increase. Just to put that in perspective, the cap in the NFL has gone up by $77.8 million since 2012. It is especially worrisome for a Raiders team that is already $21 over the cap, per Spotrac. Players will need to be either cut or trade just for the Raiders to get down to cap and for a team that isn’t loaded with talent, this is a big concern.
Trent Brown
Trent Brown is a top-tier right tackle talent and is worth the money when he’s on the field. The problem with that is that last year alone, he missed 11 games. He also has only played in 16 of 32 games in two years since moving to Las Vegas.
That’s unacceptable for a player who’s making the league minimum, let alone one that made $36 million over the last two years. With no dead money this year and a potential saving of over $14 million this year alone, The team’s brass may have to think about this one. It’s at the point where availability/cap space overweighs pure talent.
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Tyrell Williams
Tyrell Williams is another Raiders player who has the same situation as Brown. He just can’t get on the field and has missed 20 of his 32 games because of injury. His production when he is on the field is good with 42 catches for 651 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games.
However, Williams hasn’t taken a snap since 2019. This is because of a torn labrum in his shoulder in training camp in 2020. With a cap saving of 11 million and no dead money, this one is probably happening. unless he agrees to a significant pay cut.
Marcus Mariota
Marcus Mariota’s release will not be due to missing games or lack of production. Instead, he may be a luxury the Raiders may not be able to afford. The team likes him and might not be willing to let him go to another team early in free agency. On the other hand, it just doesn’t make sense to pay him $9 million to sit on the bench. With a cap hit of $10 million and no dead money, giving ‘8’ the pick slip is definitely a real possibility.
The cap will be a problem for a lot of NFL teams this offseason. The real issue for the Raiders is that they are lacking talent and the draft may not be enough to address all their roster needs. Moreover, their recent track record in the selection meeting isn’t encouraging.
There definitely will be some big names either cut or traded from the Raiders before next season. One if not more from those three players will not be with the Raiders in 2021. Which ones will get the pink slip? We’ll soon find out.
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Top Photo: Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal
