What is market value for T.J. Carrie and should the Raiders pay it to keep him?

Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie learned to build through the draft from mentor Ron Wolf. And if you have to add an expensive free agent, give him a contract you can get out of in a couple of years if he turns out not to be a good signing. That way, you can take care of the players that develop and play well for you.

That philosophy will come in handy more than ever with the Raiders this offseason at the cornerback position. They already got out of David Amerson’s 4-year, $34 million deal with no dead money toward the salary cap. Sean Smith may well be cut too so the Raiders can get out from underneath his 4-year, $38 million deal.

The draft class of 2014 changed the culture in Raider Nation so the Raiders need room to take care of them. They already took care of second-round quarterback Derek Carr with $125 million for five yearsl and third-round guard Gabe Jackson with $56 million for five years. And you know they’re going to take care of first-round edge-rusher Khalil Mack, the 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

An often overlooked player from that draft class is CB TJ Carrie, one of their 7th-round picks. He quietly became the team’s best cornerback in 2017.

So how much will re-signing him Carrie cost the Raiders?

Carrie figures to receive an average of $6-$6.5 million a year in free agency according to projections by Over The Cap. Amerson was set to make $6 million this coming year. I can’t help but wonder if McKenzie thought of giving his home-grown CB Amerson’s money. The Raiders are already looking at CB talent in free agency, having had Vontae Davis in for a visit. And they will likely pick one in the early rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft.

So what do you think?