Trying Not to Freak Out About the Raiders Free Agent Situation

by Rich Langford on Jun 29, 2011 6:30 AM PDT in Xfinity Sponsored Posts

As you know as a regular reader of the site, XFINITY is a sponsor of Silver and Black Pride and has generously agreed to support the best NFL community around – us! In 2011, XFINITY will continue to provide a variety of special editorial and interactive features throughout the season, including exclusive offseason insights and analysis.

I am back acting as XFINITY Pitchman. So read this with your internal volume cranked up to Billy Mays (RIP) levels as we Oxiclean the hell out of this sponsored post about free agency. After all, it's not just agency; it's free agency.

This is actually a decent time for this forum since we have been spending plenty of time talking about free agency lately. We had the Michael Bush saga come full circle yesterday.

I've been blowing the trumpet that a new CBA being reached was going to lead to Michael Bush going from a restricted free agent to a restricted free agent. And that in turn was going to lead to the departure of Michael Bush.

Well, it turns out that he may not be an unrestricted free agent after all. Great success, but that does little do help the reason I feared he was leaving in the first place: the Raiders have no cap room. In fact, if their "dead" money counts they will be over the cap. Maybe as much as $15 million, depending on what the cap is set at etc.. Jump over for the exciting conclusion....

I am not going to lie. The thought of the Raiders already being over the cap is giving me the fear.

The Raiders still have to sign their rookies. They still have holes on the roster. They have the Michael Bush situation, and then even more worrisome is the fact that Zach Miller is likely to be an unrestricted free agent. And we haven't even brought up Nnamdi.

How are they going to sign these guys, and fill the holes in the roster?

Let's just go over the list. The Raiders need another QB, a tight end (hopefully Miller), two offensive linemen and an offensive linemen, and I'm not talking about improving the team; I am just talking about filling out the roster. Where is this money going to come from? This could lead to the Raiders throwing in a lot of first and second year players in holes they may not be ready for.

I'm trying not to get too worked up about this. I need to have faith that the Raiders had a contingency plan for this when they went on their pre-lockout spending spree. That they have contract moves in mind that will free up cap space. Al works in mysterious ways, and those mysterious ways have become wildly successful over the last year.

In Al I trust. ...and I am also hoping brhynno will post a comment to cheer me up. He is the foil to my free agency doom scenarios.

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Comments

Not yet time to get our proverbial panties in a wrinkle

Too many factors out there have little if any grounding whatsoever. Sure, we’ve read myriad pieces now saying we’ll have 120 million for the new cap. Who’s to say this number is accurate? I believe the old number will drop, but to 120?

"tough times call for perseverance and a tough mind. I have been told that I can't play football before. We all know what happened with that. #neverquit"--Mark Herzlich

""The massive Raider Nation is beyond doubt the sleaziest and rudest and most sinister mob of thugs and wackos ever assembled."--Hunter S. Thompson

by brhynno on Jun 29, 2011 8:02 AM PDT reply actions

oops. premature post button fail...

also, there is the matter of the “dead” money. It seems likely that everyone in the league who is not Al Davis might want to stick that money to us, especially since Al’s spending spree before the lockout alienated much of the owner pool, but will they be able to?

While the prospect of signing Nnamdi again grows ever more in question, there is zero doubt we’ll ink this year’s draft class, and we haven’t even begun to discuss the possibility that we have players who might just be willing to restructure for this team, if necessary, which I’m thinking won’t be.

We can certainly get ahead of ourselves worrying what might be, especially if we base it off speculative scenarios that are bouncing around right now, which, in reality, we have no clue if they’ll even be close to what actually pans out.

"tough times call for perseverance and a tough mind. I have been told that I can't play football before. We all know what happened with that. #neverquit"--Mark Herzlich

""The massive Raider Nation is beyond doubt the sleaziest and rudest and most sinister mob of thugs and wackos ever assembled."--Hunter S. Thompson

by brhynno on Jun 29, 2011 8:07 AM PDT up reply actions

Salary cap + Problem = Al Davis solution

How many times over the past 10 years do do we hear from the media all about the doomsday prospects for the Raiders with regards to the salary cap? Only to find out later that the Raiders had plenty of room and were able to sign and re-sign everyone that they wanted.

When was the last time that the Raiders were not able to keep or get any player that Al Davis wanted. Sure, there were some players that didn’t want to come to Oakland, but that was never because of money.

The Raiders will keep and get everyone that they want this year, including Nnamdi, if that’s what Al Davis truly wants.

Your team is your child...You love it no matter what.

by TheRaiderWay on Jun 29, 2011 8:44 AM PDT up reply actions

I gave up trying to figure out how he does it, and learned to wait and see

and be again astonished. It’s what makes it so interesting discussing it here, because so often, we as fans become armchair gms, but don’t understand what it really takes. Al certainly does, and say what you will about him, but you can never take that away. I think some of us might have a bigger problem with what he wants, than if he’ll get it.

"tough times call for perseverance and a tough mind. I have been told that I can't play football before. We all know what happened with that. #neverquit"--Mark Herzlich

""The massive Raider Nation is beyond doubt the sleaziest and rudest and most sinister mob of thugs and wackos ever assembled."--Hunter S. Thompson

by brhynno on Jun 29, 2011 9:45 AM PDT up reply actions

you guys are the best...

talking me off the ledge better than third eye blind

I was the walrus, but now I'm John

by Rich Langford on Jun 29, 2011 1:16 PM PDT up reply actions

I've read much more promising things about our cap #'s then you have posting.

"When you believe in yourself......you will conquer many of your fears before they even manifest."

-Zen Master, Nnamdi "The Awesome One" Asomugha

by DarthDavis on Jun 29, 2011 9:47 AM PDT reply actions

please share...

I was the walrus, but now I'm John

by Rich Langford on Jun 29, 2011 12:47 PM PDT up reply actions

he posted this on another page http://www.footballsfuture.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=448814&start=0

and those numbers look great.

by RyanTheRaider on Jun 29, 2011 1:22 PM PDT up reply actions

http://www.footballsfuture.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=448814&start=0

by RyanTheRaider on Jun 29, 2011 1:22 PM PDT up reply actions

sweet. I'll check it out later! I hope it's right

I was the walrus, but now I'm John

by Rich Langford on Jun 29, 2011 2:08 PM PDT up reply actions

Sure looks like it

My blog

by Guru506 on Jul 13, 2011 4:33 PM PDT up reply actions

Those numbers aren't the cap numbers. They are the players 2011 salary

That could easily account for the roughly 20 mil in difference. I couldn’t tell you all of the salaries that are too low on that list, but I know that Tommy Kelly and CJ for instance is too low.

I was the walrus, but now I'm John

by Rich Langford on Jun 29, 2011 4:44 PM PDT up reply actions

Speaking of money...

Who’s getting paid for the XFINITY plug?

"I am not prettier than your girlfriend, you just like ugly girls."
- an extremely confident man.
THANK YOU, BASEDGOD.

GO A'S, RAIDERS, WARRIORS, AND CHELSEA FC.
(anything else can pinch nuggets.)
I mostly come at night, mostly.

by DEBACLE OF MASS ERUPTION. on Jun 30, 2011 5:33 AM PDT up reply actions

I've never worried about the cap

Al Davis love him or hate him gets what he wants. We’ve been is supposed cap trouble every year that I can remember recently, but yet we never lose anybody Al dosen’t want to let go.

I’m still of the mindset that the old man’s got some tricks up his sleeve, whether it’s paying them 4 million but only showing 2 on the contract or whatever the hell he does. All I know is the man keeps who he wants, and gets whoever he wants at the same time.

by TheDudeAbides138 on Jun 29, 2011 3:14 PM PDT reply actions

Great article, but the real question

Will I get my cable put back on if I mention that I love XFINITY more than my illegitimate children.
XFINITYXFINITYXFINITYXFINITYXFINITYXFINITYXFINITYXFINITYXFINITYXFINITYXFINITYXFINITY

“It’s endless fun!”

-I’d sell my soul for some “Breaking Bad” OnDemand, IN HD.

"I am not prettier than your girlfriend, you just like ugly girls."
- an extremely confident man.
THANK YOU, BASEDGOD.

GO A'S, RAIDERS, WARRIORS, AND CHELSEA FC.
(anything else can pinch nuggets.)
I mostly come at night, mostly.

by DEBACLE OF MASS ERUPTION. on Jun 29, 2011 3:30 PM PDT reply actions

Sell out

Lmao

I know absolutely nothing about this guy but if he is fast I say sign him up.
Long live Al

I think it's about time we all just agreed that NaS is the greatest of all-time.

by Ozraider on Jun 29, 2011 4:45 PM PDT up reply actions

It's the American way.

Brought to you by Mazda.

ZOOM ZOOM.

"I am not prettier than your girlfriend, you just like ugly girls."
- an extremely confident man.
THANK YOU, BASEDGOD.

GO A'S, RAIDERS, WARRIORS, AND CHELSEA FC.
(anything else can pinch nuggets.)
I mostly come at night, mostly.

by DEBACLE OF MASS ERUPTION. on Jun 29, 2011 6:55 PM PDT up reply actions

Whatever Happens We Will Be Needing Another "QB"...Still Pimping Pryor...

Pryor’s mentor as he preps for NFL: ex-Bengal Ken Anderson

“I think he’s an interesting kid. His throwing motion and arm is good, and he can make all the throws," Anderson said. “We’re working on a lot of different things right now, like NFL concepts, the passing tree and footwork. He does a nice job understanding things and how it translates.”

“It is my understanding I am heading (to Miami to work with Pryor),” Whitfield told the Canton Repository. “I look forward to working with him. … It’s a challenge to me. I know Terrelle wants to be as good as he can be.”

He also worked in the past with “Big Ben” n Philip Rivers….Maybe there’s some hope here…

by PantyRaider on Jun 30, 2011 1:01 AM PDT reply actions