As Raiders training camp gets underway this week, now is the time to look at what has been floating around the rumor mill as of late. How much of what we are hearing is true? Is it all a bunch of hot air?
Rumor No. 1 — Hunter Renfrow Could Be Cut By Raiders
Some recent allegations say Renfrow could wind up not making Vegas’ final roster. The reason is likely Renfrow’s underwhelming play this past year, which makes it difficult to justify his $13 million cap hit. Also, the team brought in Jakobi Meyers this offseason, leaving the slot specialist as the likely third option. On top of that, there were rumblings about Las Vegas shopping the former Clemson Tiger around. All signs point to Renfrow being in the dog house, at the very least.
That does not mean he is getting the axe, though. Cutting the 27-year-old right now makes very little sense. For starters, his contract lacks a reasonable out until 2024. If the Raiders were to let Renfrow go, they would only save about half a million dollars in cap space. In turn, they would have to eat about $18 million in dead cap over the next two years. Even if they are hell-bent on getting rid of the fifth-year veteran, it is hard to believe a team would be unwilling to take on his contract, especially if the cost is only a day two or three draft pick. Renfrow is still a pretty young receiver who caught 103 balls in 2021.
Verdict: Sell.
Rumor No. 2 — Josh Jacobs Could Hold Out Into The Regular Season
At this point, Jacobs will almost certainly sit out most (or all) of training camp and the preseason. The question is, could it go longer than that? Jacobs and other star running backs have been very frustrated with how the league has devalued the position. Even worse, it feels like the franchise tag is often weaponized against them. Their only recourse is to hold out. As far as camp goes, there is no financial penalty for a franchise-tagged player to sit out. Once the regular season begins is when they start missing game checks.
This is where it will become tricky for Jacobs. Every game he misses will cost him about $500,000. Whether he is willing to miss out on that much cash remains to be seen. The only benefit Jacobs would get from sitting out the regular season would be to preserve his body and not risk injury.
You could also argue that he would gain leverage by making the Raiders play without him, which would hurt the team in the win column. But this move does not typically work out, as we saw with 2014 All-Pro Le’Veon Bell. The former Steeler recently spoke about his regrets for making such a decision. At some point, Jacobs will have to play this year if he wants to see any money come his way.
Verdict: Sell.
Rumor No. 3 — Davante Adams Is Becoming Disgruntled
A year ago, Adams essentially chose to be traded to the Raiders, his favorite squad growing up. Now, many question if he is already seeking a change of scenery. In all fairness, there has yet to be anything definitive from Adams or his camp that he actually wants out. His frustration seemingly stems from wanting teammate Josh Jacobs to be with him in Vegas. At this point, he sounds more like a player that wants to win immediately with his current team. Nothing more, nothing less.
However, winning might be tough for the Raiders this year, especially if Jacobs misses time. After getting rid of cornerstone players like Derek Carr and Darren Waller, the Silver and Black seem closer to rebuilding than contending. At the age of 30, Adams may not have much patience for an extended rebuild. If things start looking bleak in 2023, we could see the former Packer’s frustration boil over.
Verdict: Hold for now.
Rumor No. 4 — Josh McDaniels Is Not On The Hot Seat In 2023
McDaniels took over a Raiders roster that made the playoffs in 2021. He would proceed to go 6-11 in his first season with the franchise, causing a stir amongst the fan base. When that happens, coaches find themselves on the hot seat more times than not. However, that is not the case this time. Rumors say McDaniels is at no risk of being fired, regardless of how the team fares in the new campaign.
This one is tricky. Mark Davis has been quite fickle as the owner of the Raiders. He is already on his fifth head coach (not including interim coaches) since taking over the team in 2011. On the other hand, there seems to be a commitment to patience with this current regime. It would be crazy to let McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler send out stars like Carr and Waller and only give them a year to figure things out. Let’s give Davis the benefit of the doubt here and assume he will take a level-headed approach.
Verdict: Buy.
Rumor No. 5 — Tom Brady Could Play For The Raiders This Year
Time to address the 6-foot-4, 225-pound elephant in the room. After becoming a minority owner of the Raiders, many began speculating whether Brady could suit up for the Silver and Black in 2023. The prevailing thought is that if something happened to the injury-prone Jimmy Garoppolo, Brady could step in.
For this to happen, Brady would need three-fourths of NFL owners to sign off. Whether they could get the votes is unclear. Obviously, most AFC playoff contenders would be wary of Brady helping the Raiders take up a spot in the postseason. But there would be a lot of financial motivation to let the legendary signal-caller play.
Imagine if Garoppolo suffers an injury early in the season. Vegas has at least five nationally televised games this year. There would be a stark difference in ratings between a hapless sub-.500 team quarterbacked by rookie Aidan O’Connell and a contending team led by the greatest quarterback in NFL history. Money talks.
Let’s say the owners do allow Brady to come out of retirement. There are still a couple of other questions that would need to be answered. Would the 45-year-old even want to come out of retirement, especially for a team that doesn’t seem all that close to contending? Also, wouldn’t the Raiders want to see what they have in O’Connell instead?
If Garoppolo gets hurt or there is mutual interest between Brady and the organization — and if they get league approval — it could happen. That is a lot of ifs, though.
Verdict: Sell, but crazier things have happened.
*Top Photo: Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal