Free Agency frenzy begins: Don't expect big splash from Raiders, at least for now

So the earliest headlines on free agency reveal it's mostly teams making moves to keep commodities before offers come in, like Marques Colston and his five-year deal in New Orleans. Jason LaCanfora's latest numbers say the Raiders are looking at $640K to work with, and I'm not sure who to believe when it comes to cap numbers, especially silver and black ones.

In the NFL, it's wise to ignore most trade and FA rumors and believe transactions occur when they are announced, and our Raiders are no exception; however, it's pretty safe to say that where the Raiders stand now excludes them from the top percentile of guys available out there, strictly because they don't have the means, and mortgaging the future for now is probably a thing of the past.

For now, tags and tenders remain unsigned, and hopefully some contracts will be drawn that give the team further relief from the cap they're currently up against. This doesn't mean they'll be inactive in pursuit whatsoever, and new GM Reggie McKenzie could be hard at work looking for diamonds in the rough that can help this Raider team get better. It does mean that without further significant cuts, an unexpected trade, or Al's cap magic from beyond, they don't have a lot of $ to offer.