Oakland Raiders: Reggie McKenzie Playing A Dangerous Game Of Chicken

Oakland Raiders’ GM Reggie McKenzie is playing a dangerous game of chicken with LT Donald Penn and the whole team may lose as a result.

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Every offseason since he’s been in charge, Oakland Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie has made some brilliant – and vastly underrated – moves. But it seems like once every offseason, he’s also made a move that’s a real head scratcher. Anybody remember the time he signed Rodger Saffold to a big dollar deal? Well, he’s at it again this offseason with the game of chicken he’s playing with LT Donald Penn.

Back in December, shortly after the season ended, McKenzie went on record saying that he wanted to retain the big man’s services. And after two years doing a good job of shoring up Oakland’s line, it’s easy to see why McKenzie felt that way. Along with Gabe Jackson, Penn formed an almost impenetrable wall on the left side of Oakland’s offensive line. Bringing him back would almost seem like a no-brainer.

But…

"“I’m not going to lie. I’m a little disappointed in the Oakland Raiders right now. That’s just me being honest. I don’t talk to my agent about deals during the season because I like to focus on my play. But, going into the offseason we talked and my agent said he talked to the team and they said they want me back and want me back. That’s what they told me before I left, but I haven’t heard from them since the season ended.”"

The lack of talks with Penn and his agent about getting a deal done since the season ended seems especially baffling considering the fact McKenzie got a deal done with safety Nate Allen in a matter of days – after cutting him. Logic would then seem to dictate that if McKenzie wanted to get a deal done with Penn, he could have done so by now.

So if he planned on bringing Penn back to Oakland, then what’s the hold up?

One big possibility for McKenzie’s reluctance to start negotiating is Penn’s initial salvo before the process even began. If there’s one thing we learned about McKenzie as a General Manager, it’s that he doesn’t like to spend a lot of money. And Penn, for his part, let McKenzie know that to see him back in Silver and Black in 2016, it was going to cost him – and cost him a lot.

Donald Penn says he's been like HBO at a promotional price - now it's time for the Raiders to pay full price for the shows they love
— Guy Haberman (@GuyHaberman) February 5, 2016

That promotional price that Penn played under last season was around four and a half million dollars. Given that over the last two seasons, he has graded out as a top ten tackle in the league, it seems reasonable that Penn would be looking for a raise heading into the coming season.

But how much of a raise should he get? No doubt, that’s a question that has been asked over and over again in Raiders HQ.

SpoTrac is estimating that Penn’s next contract should be somewhere in the neighborhood of two years and $14 million dollars. And it seems to be a reasonable figure given that he’s one of the top three or four tackles slated to hit free agency.

Given the fact that good left tackles aren’t exactly falling from the sky these days – and given how well Penn has performed in his two seasons in the East Bay – seven million dollars a season doesn’t seem like a terrible investment.

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Especially since McKenzie and the Raiders don’t really have a whole lot of other options at the moment.

Some are pressing for McKenzie to take a tackle in the upcoming draft – somebody like Michigan State’s Jack Conklin. He’s been terrific throughout his collegiate career, sure. But playing at the NFL level is another animal entirely, and drafting offensive lineman in the first round is always a crapshoot. At best. Expecting a rookie lineman to step in and be an impact player at such an important position on day one is a dangerous game – and risks Derek Carr‘s health, which in turn, would jeopardize Oakland’s season entirely.

So what is the other option? Free agency. The trouble with that though, is that if you give up a player of Penn’s caliber, you better get one of equal or greater value in return. And to get equal or greater value, McKenzie would need to sign a Will Beatty or a Russell Okung – and to get one of them to sign, McKenzie is going to have to pony up some hard cash. As much or more as it would take to sign Penn.

So if he’s going to have to pay, why not pay the guy who’s performed extremely well for you for the last two seasons? The guy who has an established rapport with Carr and the rest of the line? And the guy who has already expressed a strong desire to stay in the East Bay?

Yes, Penn is 32 years old – not exactly a Spring chicken. But he’s still obviously very capable of playing at a high level. And if there is one thing the Raiders need as they look to take the next step in their progression – and secure a playoff spot in 2016 – it is consistency and solid play along the offensive line. More than that, they need to keep Carr upright and healthy.

Next: Raiders 2016 Free Agent Wish List

Penn is starting to sound a lot like Jared Veldheer before McKenzie let him walk a couple of years ago. Fortunately for McKenzie, he got a replacement who has performed better than Veldheer. But unless he can pull another rabbit out of his hat and find somebody who can outperform Penn, McKenzie is running the risk of weakening an offensive line that had become a source of strength for the Raiders in 2015 – an offensive line that was good enough to have a nearly 4,000 yard passer, one 1,000 yard receiver (very nearly a second 1,000 yard receiver), and a 1,000 yard rusher.

With the Raiders nearly $41 million dollars below the spending threshold, they have the money to pay Penn. He has performed very well – far exceeding the expectations surrounding him when Tampa Bay cut him. Unless McKenzie has an ace in his back pocket, he should give up this game of chicken and pay the man. He’s earned it.

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