It is clear that the Raiders did not value Zach Miller. I still am not really sure why. My best guess is that he just isn't the kind of freakish athlete that Al Davis loves. I certainly didn't see anything in Zach's attitude or style of play that would have soured the organization on him. It must just be that his relatively pedestrian athleticism did not make a large investment in him, the direction the Raiders wanted to go.
The most recent piece of evidence that the Raiders really just didn't care came from an interview with Miller on The Wheelhouse with John Lund (link takes you to the audio) on 95.7 The GAME. The transcript is after the jump.
I find myself completely unconcerned that he is gone. By all appearances the passing game has progressed to a point that I fully expect this to be a better passing offense then it ever was when he was here (through no fault of Miller's). I also welcome the bully blocking of The Boss.
Here is the transcript:
Why did you go to Seattle and leave the Raiders?
The biggest thing was... all throughout my last year as a Raider I thought I was gonna get my contract extended and it never happened and then going into the off season before the lockout, I thought I was going to get an extension or get a new contract... and then once that free agency period started before you could officially sign deals, I thought a deal would happen too and it just never did so as a free agent I just looked around at other teams, other teams called my agent, and Seattle really pushed for me hard... they brought me up here for a visit. I got a chance to talk to Coach [Tom] Cable again and Coach [Pete] Carroll and really like it up here, felt like I would be a good fit, and liked the direction the team was heading... That's what sealed the deal.
Was it more the Raiders or Seahawks?
All through the offseason I just assumed that once the lockout was over that I would have a deal done that day but it just didn't happen. They kept telling me to be patient... Then they signed guys before me. It was tough, thinking that I'd be the priority and I wasn't...
Did the Raiders break a promise to you, whether spoken or implied?
There's no promises when you're a free agent... But I felt like with my position on the team and where I was... I'd just come off a Pro Bowl Season, that I'd just kind of expected it. They offered me a deal and talked to my agent throughout the process... but I felt more strongly how bad Seattle wanted me as opposed to Oakland.