Oakland Raiders: Free Agents The Team Should Make A Run At This Offseason
By Kevin Saito
The divorce between the nine year veteran and the Chargers has been as ugly as it is final. There is no way Weddle is going back to San Diego and the feeling seems to be mutual.
Which is where the Raiders come in.
Oakland is obviously in the market for a safety. Weddle has played at a high level for nine years. And though he missed three games in 2015 due to injury, he’s been pretty durable over his career. Durable and very effective. Fans have seen him make more than a few plays over the years that have driven a stake into the collective heart of Raider Nation.
And though at 31 years old, he’s approaching the downside of his career, Weddle still has a few good seasons left in him. If anything, Charles Woodson has shown everybody that you can continue to play at a very high level well after your thirtieth birthday.
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This is not to compare Weddle to Woodson, this is simply to say that at the position, a player can be effective well into their thirties.
On paper, a union between Weddle and the Raiders makes perfect sense. Oakland needs a durable, reliable, effective safety. Weddle is those things and he needs a job. What makes the pot sweeter is McKenzie’s ability to play the scorned lover card and offer Weddle the chance to take his pound of flesh from the Chargers twice a year.
But signing Weddle is going to cost. And we all know that McKenzie doesn’t like throwing money around. Moore is the younger, less expensive alternative to the job opening in Oakland’s defensive backfield. But Weddle is the option with a better track record of productivity.
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