Oakland Raiders: With The Season Over, Coming Purge Looming Large

The Oakland Raiders, coming off a less than stellar season, are going to be turning things over in a large way once the offseason starts.

You have to give the Oakland Raiders this year, they sure know how to generate some buzz and keep their name in the news.

Even though the Raiders were a massive disappointment to everybody and their mother this season, the Raiders have still managed to create enough buzz that they’ve nearly broken the Internet a couple of times.

First, there was the vote that approved the team’s move to Las Vegas – a vote that split the Raider Nation right down the middle, with half being okay with it, and those within Oakland city limits calling those okay with the relocation #FakeFans.

Next, came the team luring Oakland native son Marshawn Lynch out of retirement to don the Silver and Black. It was obviously a move designed to generate some buzz and some good will among the Raider Nation. It was a calculated PR move that, for the most part, worked.

And then, just this weekend, it was news that the team is reportedly going to fire HC Jack Del Rio and make an aggressive run at former head man Jon Gruden that set the Internet on fire. It’s a run that is believed to be in the neighborhood of $10 million annually, plus a possible ownership stake in the team.

Give them this – when they do something (even if it’s the wrong move) they’re going to do it up big.

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However, with the offseason now upon us, there is the more practical matter of the coming roster purge. Guys carrying big cap hits, guys who’ve vastly underperformed, and guys who may or may not be locker room cancers are likely going to find themselves in a different uniform next season – regardless of who is sitting in the HC chair.

It seems pretty much a given that the team will be parting ways with cornerback Sean Smith. Given his price tag, his inconsistent-to-poor play (not that he was helped by former DC Ken Norton‘s defensive schemes), as well as his pending legal case – a case in which, if he’s found guilty, he could be sentenced to years in prison.

It’s also possible that the team could cut fellow cornerback David Amerson, who’s been sidelined with injuries for most of the year, and even when he wasn’t, was inconsistent on the field. He’s never been as good as he was in 2015, when he was picked up off the scrap heap and made a name for himself in Silver and Black.

Shedding the salaries of just those two guys will save the Raiders upwards of $14 million in cap space. Money that will be much needed, given the mega-contract they’re going to need to pony up for Khalil Mack.

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Some believe that Lynch is going to be one and done in Oakland. Although he’s given the team about what they needed and expected of their starting running back, it hasn’t been enough. Although, that is primarily because of Todd Downing’s inept control of the offense.

There have also been some stories floating around that the team has “tired” or Lynch’s act. Add that all up and it sure sounds like Lynch is gone next season, allowing the team to save another $6 million in cap space.

Another name believed to be on the chopping block has recently surfaced though, that’s somewhat surprising and unexpected.

And that’s receiver Michael Crabtree.

Since coming to the Raiders in 2015, Crabtree has paired with Amari Cooper to form one of the most potent receiving tandems in the league. In his three seasons in Silver and Black, Crabtree has 230 catches for 2,526 yards, and he has 25 touchdowns.

Crabtree has been very productive for this offense since coming over from San Francisco. And yet, like Lynch, there are rumblings going on behind the scenes about Crabtree’s attitude – providing justification for cutting one of the team’s most productive offensive weapons.

According to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Crabtree’s act has apparently rubbed the wrong people, the wrong way.

"“The Raiders are expected to move on from their wide receiver this offseason. There has been a measure of dysfunction behind the scenes of a 6-9 campaign that will conclude Sunday at the Los Angeles Chargers. Changes are coming, and sources have indicated those will include parting with a player whose production is not considered worth the baggage.”"

Other than his running feud with Denver safety Aqib Talib – and the suspension that flowed from that ongoing skirmish – there haven’t been a lot of other indications of the dysfunction Gehlken speaks of. There’s no telling what sort of “baggage” he’s actually referring to.

But, these stories about Lynch and Crabtree seem to coincide with a comment made recently by Raiders broadcaster Greg Papa.

"“It’s something I’ve known about for a while but haven’t talked about because the coaches haven’t talked about it publicly. The culture around this football team has clearly regressed. Some guys on this team they got to get out of here, that are not playing well and not great people.”"

In a season filled with frustration and losses, it seems natural for guys to be upset. To be frustrated. Some guys though, apparently don’t handle the frustration too well and become distractions for the team. Become cancers in the locker room.

And, if the stories are to be believed, that seems to possibly be the case with Lynch and Crabtree. Which is unfortunate, given Crabtree’s reliability for Derek Carr and the offense these past few seasons.

Still, cutting Crabtree will save the team almost $8 million in cap space, which can’t be overlooked – which, when combined with the savings they’d have by cutting Smith, Amerson, and Lynch, would total up to about $28 million, giving the team some flexibility.

That number could potentially grow with some other salaries that could possibly be shed without suffering any dead money – those of Jared Cook and Cordarelle Patterson, in particular.

The offseason is upon us and the Raiders are going to have some big decisions to make – starting with their head coach, apparently.

But, in terms of the more mundane things like the roster, there will be a purge this offseason. There are going to be a good many players who were in Silver and Black this year, playing elsewhere next year.

All we can do is sit back and hope that they make the right decisions. But, given the way this whole Del Rio/Gruden thing is playing out, it doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence.

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