Oakland Raiders: Is Brown Overplaying His Hand, Using Team As Leverage?

The Oakland Raiders met briefly with free agent linebacker Zach Brown before he left without a contract and a not-so-subtle Tweet – is he now overplaying his hand or using the team as leverage?

In NFL free agency, there are players and people who get played. The Oakland Raiders, needing help at inside linebacker, met with Zach Brown – one of top inside backers on the open market – recently. It was a meeting that ended quickly, without the Raiders inking Brown, and with a Tweet that many fans believed was a not-so-subtle shot at the team.

But reports have been circulating recently that Brown has narrowed his list of potential employers to the Dolphins or the Raiders. Given the nature of his departure from Raiders headquarters though, one has to wonder whether he’s genuinely considering Oakland’s offer, or if he’s using that perception to squeeze a few more dollars out of another team like the Dolphins.

Though some may scoff, it’s a fair question given that Brown himself took to Twitter after leaving the Raiders facilities, sending a Tweet that many interpreted to be a shot at the organization’s offer to him.

Though many defended Brown and downplayed his remarks, the belief that he was unhappy with Oakland’s offer to him was bolstered after remarks given by his friend and former teammate, Jamal Womble, went public.

"“Initially, Womble stated that the Raiders’ offer to Brown was ‘disrespectful’ and the two sides were far away from inking a deal. Miami then found themselves right in the thick of the race as they offered more money than Oakland. However, Brown believes the Raiders have been more competitive in recent years.”"

For some, it’s a bit difficult to see how Brown could move from feeling “disrespected” by Oakland’s offer to suddenly being okay with it enough to consider the Raiders a viable landing spot. Especially, given the fact that Miami already reportedly has more money on the table.

Brown is looking to capitalize on a pretty stellar season in Buffalo. As is his right. As he should. But with his salary demand reportedly to be about $6 million annually, the question that needs to be asked is whether or not Brown is overplaying his hand a bit.

Brown’s reported salary demand would put him in the top-ten annual salaries among inside linebackers. It would put him just behind guys like Derrick Johnson, Danny Trevathan, and Brandon Marshall in terms of annual salary.

Which begs the question – is he worth that kind of money?

Next: Grading McKenzie's Offseason Moves So Far

Certainly, if you base it all on his 2016 performance, you’d have to give that a resounding yes. Of course. Last year, pressed into service as a starter, Brown responded with a Pro Bowl year, racking up 149 tackles (97 solo), four sacks, four passes defensed, and two forced fumbles. He had a great year, there is no question.

But when assessing his value, it should also be noted that he couldn’t even crack the starting lineup the previous year – starting just five games.

After being drafted by the Titans in 2012, Brown put up some solid enough numbers in making 14 and 13 starts his first two seasons in the league. He probably could have been considered among the better inside linebackers in the league.

But then 2014 saw him limited to just a single game for Tennessee and after that, he wasn’t in the Titans’ starting lineup regularly, and if not for an injury to rookie Reggie Ragland, he wouldn’t have wouldn’t have been in Buffalo’s starting lineup either.

If the Raiders are actually in the running for his services – and he’s not just using the threat of going to Oakland as leverage to squeeze out a few more dollars out of Miami – based on what we saw last year, as well as his first two years in the league, $6 million annually might actually be considered a decent deal. He performed like a top-ten backer last season, no question.

Having Brown and new acquisition Jelani Jenkins inside for the Raiders at that second level would be a definite upgrade over what they’ve had the last couple of years. And it could solve a lot of problems on the defensive side of the ball.

But if this is in fact, a ploy to squeeze more money out of Miami – or to ignite a bidding war for his services – then GM Reggie McKenzie and the Raiders may be smarter just to bow out and look to the draft to bolster that second level.

With new deals for Derek Carr and Khalil Mack on his plate already, McKenzie can’t afford to overpay for Brown.