Oakland Raiders Secure Rod Streater for 2015, May Lose Andre Holmes
By Kevin Saito
Hours before the news of Randall Cobb opting to go back to the snow and cheese curd heaven that is Green Bay broke, the Oakland Raiders made a couple of other moves that have flown beneath the radar for the most part. But in light of Cobb’s decision, one of those two moves Oakland made today could rear up and bite them in a very uncomfortable place.
With so much attention being paid to Reggie McKenzie‘s pursuit of his former player Cobb, not a lot had been said about a pair of Oakland’s restricted free agents. And given the role they play, as well as the Raiders’ desperate need for reliable pass catchers, it was somewhat surprising that the issue hadn’t been addressed sooner.
But better late than never. McKenzie and the Raiders finally offered up the RFA tenders for wide receivers Rod Streater and Andre Holmes.
Streater led the Raiders in receptions (60) and yards (888) in 2013 and looked poised to make that leap into being the reliable, field stretching, number one type receiver Oakland has desperately needed for a number of years.
But a broken foot just three games into the 2014 season ended his year and left him – in a contract year – watching from the sidelines, unable to do anything to better not just his stock, but his earning potential.
The Raiders have given Streater a second round tender to keep him in Oakland for another season. Under that deal, Streater will earn $2.356 million for the season. Of course, as a restricted free agent, he can still negotiate with other teams, and the Raiders have the right to match any offer he receives. However, if another team were able to poach Streater away from Oakland, the Raiders would receive a second round draft pick in compensation for the loss.
Sep 7, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Oakland Raiders receiver Rod Streater (80) celebrates after scoring on a 12-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
With draft picks being the valued commodity that they are, that means that Streater likely isn’t going anywhere in 2015.
Holmes’ situation is a little bit different – and a little more problematic for the Raiders. Oakland opted to offer him an original round tender. The deal will pay him $1.5 million for the year, however he too is free to negotiate with other teams.
As he is a restricted free agent, the Raiders have the right to match any offer he receives. However, if they opt to not match the offer, and Holmes signs with another club, Oakland receives no compensation whatsoever.
At the time the tender was offered, it seemed likely that the Raiders were going to land Cobb, which is perhaps why McKenzie was comfortable with the idea of losing Holmes.
But what a difference a day makes.
Holmes is likely going to draw interest around the league. The 26 year old is 6’5”, 208 lbs., and has tremendous upside. He led the Oakland receiving corps in yards (693), and showed the ability to be physical in going up for jump balls and coming down with them.
The one knock on Holmes has been his issue with consistency. He had 47 receptions last season on 99 targets for a sub-50 percent reception rate. Though some put a lot of the blame on Derek Carr‘s inaccuracies last season – and that argument isn’t totally without merit – Holmes himself deserves a lot of the blame as he dropped a number of passes he shouldn’t have.
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Holmes has the talent, and he showed that he is improving in his battle for consistency. He is a big body, can stretch the field, and battle well for position. But given the low tender he was given by the Raiders, there is the possibility that he will not continue developing his game in Silver and Black.
Given the fact that McKenzie and the Raiders swung and missed at Cobb, if the team loses Holmes as well, they are going to have a bigger, more glaring need in their receiving corps. Holmes wasn’t perfect, and he needed a lot of work, but he had a great chemistry with Carr, as well as the raw skill and talent to be a very productive receiver for the Raiders.
Cobb’s decision is going to have a ripple effect throughout the Raiders’ organization as they plan ahead for the coming season. And now that he has spurned the Raiders, McKenzie needs to figure out how to keep his in-house talent in-house, as well as add to the depth talent pool, be it through free agency, the draft, or a combination of both.