The Las Vegas Raiders are paying a lot of money to a few big names when they move to Nevada for the 2020 season, but overall they’re still one of the NFL’s youngest rosters and therefore full of newbies or related minimum offers. When it comes to identifying the biggest bargains on your squad, there are actually some candidates who match the bill.
Some who don’t immediately: Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota, the two best quarterbacks on Jon Gruden’s depth chart.
Carr, who becomes the NFL’s highest-paid QB in 2017, seems like an old story, but he still ranks 11th in terms of 2020 salary caps; His total $ 21.5 million are frontrunners such as Matthew Stafford, Kirk Cousins, Matt Ryan and Carson Wentz. Carr may be a good / usable QB, but it would be stupid to suggest that Gruden would take him over these other signal callers.
Mariota has been largely hailed as a smart addition to Carr insurance, but his $ 9.125 million cap hit isn’t cheap. It ranks 20th among all QBs ahead of starters like Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Ryan Fitzpatrick. It’s almost twice as much as the $ 5.3 million bears Nick Foles pays to compete with Mitchell Trubisky. It’s more than three times what the cowboys Andy Dalton ($ 3 million) pay to support Dak Prescott, not to mention what the Browns Case Keenum and the Saints Jameis Winston give.
That said, the Raiders have a fair share of bargains, especially if you jump on the other side of the ball. Here are five of their best contracts for 2020:
All cap figures are courtesy of Spotrac.
1. S Damarious Randall
2020 upper salary limit reached: $ 2.1 million
Randall was not the most reliable presence as it appears to have fallen out of favor in both Cleveland and Green Bay and has missed 14 games in the past four years. When he’s on and healthy, he’s a playmaker with 14 interceptions and almost 50 pass distractions. He also has experience in the cornerback and is sure that he will start most of the 2020 season against Jonathan Abram, who may need his own shoulder injury insurance.
His cap hit of $ 2.1 million seems to be standard for a potential Starter, but do you think he ranks 56th among the security salaries for 2020, also behind four other raiders collateral. That’s a bargain, regardless of whether Randall Vegas offers 12, 14, or 16 games in a secondary that will need a lot more of them in 2019.
2. DT Maliek Collins
2020 upper salary limit reached: $ 6.25 million
His departure from Dallas was the reason why the cowboys plunged into the aging D-Line market to add Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe. And don’t make a mistake: although these two DTs may have bigger names, the Raiders should be happy that they chose to pay Collins. His tackle sums have never been gaudy, but he has held his own against the barrel while flashing as a pass rusher ascending. He was ranked top 10 interior rusher by PFF in 2019. He’ll be an undisputed starter and as a bonus he’s still only 25 years old.
It gets even better when you see how Collins’ salary behaves with the rest of the league. He ranks 22nd among DT cap hits in 2020 and is a good $ 2-3 million cheaper than more questionable veterans like Solomon Thomas and Star Lotulelei. And while a top dollar is expected from the NFL’s elite DTs, Collins’ $ 6.25 million seems to be contrary to the big paychecks of people like Aaron Donald ($ 25 million), Fletcher Cox ($ 23.8 million) . USD), DeForest Buckner ($ 23.3 million) and Chris hardly being inappropriate Jones ($ 16 million).
3. WR Hunter Renfrow
2020 upper salary limit reached: $ 753,987
Renfrow, a favorite of the training camp in 2019, was much more than that during his rookie season and became Carr’s most reliable target that wasn’t called Darren Waller. His 605 yards and four touchdowns weren’t worldbreaking, no, but 49 catches – and a catch percentage of 69 percent – in 13 games because the Raiders’ slot receiver was a solid performance for round five selection. With Henry Ruggs and more speed in the Vegas offensive, Renfrow’s chances should theoretically increase in the middle of 2020.
In terms of salary, you can’t do it much better considering that he has a late round rookie deal. Even a slight improvement in his 2019 numbers would be a bargain given his rate.
4. WR Nelson Agholor
2020 upper salary limit reached: $ 887,500
He is perhaps best known for his struggles with drops – and the subsequent lambasting by Philadelphia Eagles fans. But between the stints as one of Philly’s favorite targets for ridicule, the former first-round player had some success as he operated out of the slot. This is the same man who has completed 60 consecutive seasons with 60 catches and scored eight touchdowns during the Eagles’ Super Bowl run LED The nine-catch birds win this championship, even though injuries and mental errors plagued 2019.
Will Agholor be the squad? That’s unclear because Renfrow, Ruggs, Tyrell Williams and quarter-finalist Bryan Edwards all seem like castles. There is a reason why 31 other teams refused to pay him more than the veteran minimum. And yet, at the age of 27, Agholor certainly has a lot in the tank. If he can even come close to his 2017 form, he’ll be a real comeback candidate.
5. CB Prince Amukamara
2020 upper salary limit reached: $ 887,500
At 31, Amukamara’s best days were behind him, especially after a mediocre bear campaign in 2019 that caused Chicago to cut him free despite the holes in the corner. However, it’s not that he’s been incredibly bogged down by injuries after appearing in at least 14 games in four consecutive seasons and starting 30 out of 32 games since 2018. Simply put, you can do a lot worse if you are looking for an outside plug and play veteran.
As with Agholor, his vet minimum suggests the rest of the NFL is ready to play with younger alternatives, but what’s the disadvantage for the Raiders here? First-round player Damon Arnette is waiting in the starting blocks across from Trayvon Mullen, and the team has also spent a quarter-finalist for Amik Robertson. With less than $ 900,000, Amukamara is a bargain insurance policy.
