Last offseason, for the second year in a row, the Raiders spent a lot of money in free agency and in doing so, they made up a lot of ground to catch up with the 89% 4-year average spending they would need to meet the salary floor. So much so that according to early figures from the NFLPA, they appeared to surpass it. However, their latest numbers have the Raiders as the only team below the salary floor according to the NFLPA.
The salary cap spending requirement for the years 2013-2016 is $493,549,500 and the Raiders are currently sitting at $491,433,408 meaning they have to spend a little over $2 million before March.
Clearly, not an issue. All they would need to do is extend one player currently on the roster to spend that money. There are plenty of players currently on the roster who could get an extension or signed to a new deal before March.
During last season, the Raiders extended Michael Crabtree and Jamize Olawale.
First in line to receive and extension is Derek Carr, who is eligible to get a new contract after the season. Locking him up long term is definitely a priority and his deal is expected to be at or around $25 million a year.
Others who could receive new deals include Latavius Murray, Malcolm Smith, and Menelik Watson. Even a non-lucrative deal could easily pay out $2 million in a signing bonus and/or a front loaded deal like the ones the Raiders tend to give out in order to avoid dead money down the road.
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