Although all eyes are on the start of the 2021 season, the Las Vegas Raiders front office must always look ahead. Speaking of which, it appears the organization is on track to have a lot of financial flexibility.
Money to spend?
According to the great people of Spotrac, the Raiders are projected to have the eleventh-most cap space in the NFL next offseason. This is a far cry from where the Raiders currently sit as they have -$273,721 in cap space. In 2022, that number will be just over $55 million.
However, the Raiders also have very few expiring contracts in 2022. While Alec Ingold and Nicholas Morrow will likely be back, almost all other expiring contracts will be players who have something to prove in 2021. In the case that the Raiders do have players prove themselves in 2021, that is certainly a good problem to have.
The potential of a Derek Carr contract extension could also free up more cap space for next season. It is likely that Carr would be willing to push money down the road in order to build the team around him as this is something he has already done.
No time like the present…
However, the Raiders cannot spend time worrying about the future now. With the regular season approaching next week, it’s time for the current members of the Silver and Black to earn their money. Mike Mayock certainly hopes to have the problem of “too many good players, not enough money” in 2022.
*Top Photo: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports