Breaking News: Rodger Saffold fails physical, will not sign with the Raiders

November 11, 2012; San Francisco, CA, USA; St. Louis Rams tackle Rodger Saffold (76) blocks San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Aldon Smith (99) during the fourth quarter at Candlestick Park. The 49ers and the Rams tied 24-24. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

It appears that the Oakland Raiders much maligned, front loaded deal for guard/tackle Rodger Saffold won’t actually be going through after all as the often injured offensive line talent failed his physical on Wednesday and thus will be unable to sign with the team.

CSNBayArea’s Scott Bair was among the first to report the breaking news that came after the Raiders met with Justin Tuck, LaMarr Woodley and Justin Hatcher on Day Two of NFL Free Agency.

From Bair:

"Offensive lineman Rodger Saffold will not be signing a contract to join the Raiders. He failed a physical with team doctors on Wednesday afternoon, a day after he agreed to terms on a five-year, $42.5 million contract with $21.5 in guarantees.Saffold has a long injury history, and has been sidelined with ailments to his knee (multiple times), neck, shoulder and pectoral muscle.Check back with CSNBayarea.com for further updates."

This comes as a potential blessing in disguise for the Raiders as now they will not have $8 million per year deal tied up with a guy who has an injury history that is so bad he is unable to pass his physical. Many in the Raider Nation and across the league felt that the Saffold deal was an overpay because of his injury history and his unproven history at the left tackle position. Reggie McKenzie will need to find another offensive linemen in the free agency market now, but the Raiders can consider themselves lucky that Saffold’s injury problems flared up prior to him signing a big front loaded contract for the 2014 season and beyond.

We will try to keep you updated on developments on the Saffold news throughout the evening. Stay posted to Just Blog Baby for more updates as they come.