Oakland Raiders Look to Upgrade Roster at the Expense of the Broncos
By Kevin Saito
Maybe it’s mean. Perhaps it’s cruel, and even – barbaric. But there’s nothing quite like directly benefiting from the struggles of one of your oldest, most bitter and hated rivals. The Oakland Raiders find themselves in a position this offseason, to potentially pick the cupboards of the Denver Broncos clean — something that will surely make the Oakland fanbase giggle with delight.
After spending wildly last offseason as they went all in on the Super Bowl or Bust train – spoiler alert, they busted big time, crapping out against the Indianapolis Colts in the divisional playoff round – the Broncos find themselves with a load of free agents, and perhaps, not enough money to sign them all.
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As we barrel toward the start of free agency, the Broncos are estimated to have just over $26 million dollars in available cap space. It’s not an insignificant sum of money, but if they hope to keep the nucleus of their team intact, they somehow have to find a way to pay the likes of Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas, Terrance Knighton, and Rahim Moore – all key contributors to the Broncos’ success.
With Demaryius Thomas at the top of their priority list – and the payday he is in line for – it seems to be a given that the Broncos are not going to be able to keep all of their key contributors. Not unless Peyton Manning comes riding in on his glittery unicorn and announces that he will play for free in 2015, donating the $19 million he is scheduled to make to the team so they can sign everybody – which is about as likely as the Cleveland Browns winning the Super Bowl next season.
The relatively cash strapped Broncos are going to have to make some tough decisions, and are very likely going to have to part with some of their core players. In specific, it seems increasingly likely that the Broncos will be forced to say goodbye to Julius Thomas and Terrance Knighton.
November 9, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas (80) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter against the Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum. The Broncos defeated the Raiders 41-17. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
If and when that happens, GM Reggie McKenzie and the Oakland Raiders must be ready to pounce.
Given the fact that both Thomas and Knighton have expressed interest in playing in Oakland – Thomas because of his childhood allegiances, and Knighton because of his loyalty to Del Rio – it shouldn’t be too difficult of a sell to get one or both of the talented players to the Bay Area.
The challenge will be in the notoriously thrifty McKenzie opening up the checkbook wide enough to make them fair and legitimate offers.
Though the Raiders already have a very talented and promising rising star at the TE position in Mychal Rivera, Oakland’s offense – and Rivera himself – could only benefit from having a rock solid veteran like Thomas in the fold. Not only would Thomas give QB Derek Carr a legitimate receiving threat, he would also help Rivera take his game to the next level.
In Knighton, the Raiders would get a big body to help plug up the middle of the line. Antonio Smith was horrid against the run last year, and isn’t likely to be back with the Raiders in 2015. Neither is Pat Sims. Pairing Knighton along the defensive front with Justin Ellis would give the promising young playmaker a mentor, and give the Raiders a run stuffing menace. It would also help free up fierce pass rushers like Justin Tuck, Sio Moore, and of course, Khalil Mack to get after the quarterback.
The sticking point in the business of the NFL, as always, comes down to money. A report from the Denver Post suggests that the price tag for Pot Roast would be roughly in the range of five years at $30 million per year. Thomas though, who has played out his rookie contract, is expected to be looking for a large payday, given his offensive productivity. Though there is little to base it on at this point, some reports suggest that Thomas will be looking for a payday similar to that of New Orleans TE Jimmy Graham – which is in the neighborhood of $10 million annually.
Fortunately for the Raiders, they have that kind of money to spend. And there is no question that adding one or both would be significant upgrades to the team. And best of all, both of those players want to be in Oakland – which is something not many free agents who aren’t on the downside of their careers have said in quite a long time.
Though McKenzie has money to spend, he still must be judicious with how he spends it. $50 million seems like a lot, but it can go pretty quickly if you go off half-cocked and start signing people. Just ask the late Al Davis.
But for the money it would take to land both Thomas and Knighton – which would still leave the Raiders with a pretty healthy chunk of change to spend – McKenzie would be foolish to not consider pursuing them.
Being able to add players of Knighton and Thomas’ caliber would be significant upgrades to an Oakland roster that desperately needs it. And what’s even better for Raiders’ fans, those upgrades would come at the expense of their arch rival Broncos.