Oakland Raiders: Predicting the next pieces to fall in offseason of change
By Kevin Saito
Bruce Irvin ($8M)
It seemed like a no-brainer that Irvin would be back with the team in 2018. Behind Khalil Mack, he’s been Oakland’s most productive pass rusher for the last couple of seasons.
A lot has been made of the fact that of Irvin’s eight sacks in 2017, 5.5 came over the last six games. That may have more to do with Norton’s schemes than anything. Rather than an attacking, for the play and make something happen defense, the Raiders have been more reactionary.
Add to that, the fact that Norton wasn’t able to scheme up anything to get Mack free of the double and triple teams he routinely faces, or make better use of Irvin as a pass rusher with the added attention going to Mack.
Those 5.5 sacks over the last six games are a credit to Pagano, as the team performed a lot better and was able to put more pressure on opposing quarterbacks once he was elevated.
However, Irvin’s return in 2018 is apparently up in the air at this point. Reports are floating around that the team has asked him to take a pay cut from his scheduled $8 million dollar salary. Though no figures have been confirmed, it’s believed the team is looking to get him down to around $5 million.
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All things considered, Irvin may be something of a bargain at $8 million, given that he is Oakland’s only other reliable pass rusher at this point. And he’s coming off a pretty decent year, statistically speaking.
Irvin has no reason to take the haircut, though it’s possible he could. But, the question to be asked is – if he doesn’t agree to a pay cut, would the Raiders part ways with him? That seems entirely possible, if not likely, as they look to free up some cap space, given that they will incur no dead money against the cap if they do.
It seemed unthinkable not all that long ago, but it’s looking like Gruden and the Raiders may possibly be moving on from Irvin.