The Trent Brown Conundrum
Next, right tackle Trent Brown. The Raiders have had talks about trading the right tackle, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media. Brown has only played in 16 games in two years since signing with the Raiders in 2019 and if cut or traded, would save the Raiders another $14 million dollars in cap space. Look for the Raiders to try and trade Brown, if not, he stays. The Raiders would be foolish to just cut Brown and get nothing in return. Gruden has called Brown the LeBron James of right tackles when healthy and is only 28 years old.
The next player is more difficult to determine what the Raiders will do because he plays the most important position in all of sports, quarterback. What do the Raiders do with Marcus Mariota? Mariota has been part of trade scenarios with a number of possible teams, but nothing has yet materialized. If Las Vegas trades or cuts Mariota, that would save about $10.6 million in cap space.
The Raiders re-signed backup quarterback Nathan Peterman to a one-year $1 million dollar deal with $1.7 million in incentives. Quite frankly, Peterman is irrelevant to the Mariota conversation. If the Raiders can’t find a trade partner for the Oregon product, he stays.
If Derek Carr is out for an extended period of time, you can’t sell Peterman to Raider Nation in Year 4 of Gruden’s tenure and Year 2 in Las Vegas. Especially with the possibility of fans in attendance next season. Whatever happens to any or all of the Raiders pending free agents, look for all the roster cuts to be fast and furious heading into the new league year, March 17th.
You May Also Like: Raiders Betting Favorites To Land Russell Wilson Despite Unlikelihood
*Top Photo: Jeff Chiu/Associated Press