Buyer’s Remorse: Reports Indicate Mark Davis Pulled the Plug on Saffold

Nov 24, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Well here we go again….According to a tweet from Michael Silver of NFL.com “Raiders source indicates Mark Davis pulled plug on Saffold deal. Could have had surgery and been ready for training camp.”

Michael Silver is a respected, if not somewhat controversial reporter. Silver also has close ties to the Bay Area and the Oakland Raiders, and I tend to believe his reports.

So what does this all mean?

Despite what Mark Davis has stated throughout is his time as owner, Mark Davis just like his father will get involved in “Football” decisions, especially when his money is on the line.

It appears Mark overruled Reggie on Saffold, and axed the deal. An owner and GM not on the same page is not a very good thing for a rebuilding franchise.

In a recent interview with Saffold’s two agents Alan Herman and Jared Fox, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported “…at about 3 p.m. Pacific time Wednesday, Saffold agents Alan Herman and Jared Fox received a call from the Raiders.

“They said, we have a problem. Rodger failed his physical. There’s something wrong with his shoulder. What did you know about that?” Herman told the Post-Dispatch.”

“(The Raiders) said, ‘We think he needs immediate surgery to correct his shoulder,’ ” Herman said.

The article indicates Saffold suffered the injury during pre-season of last year, but came back and finished the season strong. Furthermore Saffold apparently passed his exit physical by the Rams.

“He apologized profusely,” Herman said of McKenzie. “I shared my displeasure in very strong terms. Jared and I were sitting there in disbelief. We got out of the building and we got back to the hotel.”

Interesting tidbits of information, and great insight into what went down during this ordeal. Still we must remember this is the account of Saffold’s agents, and we may never know what transpired inside the Raiders facility.

One theory on the matter is, Mark Davis was unhappy with the Saffold deal, which included $21 million of guaranteed money. Mark Davis then took it upon himself to kill the deal using the physical as an out clause.

The physical is one tool a team can use to back out of a deal. Simply have the player fail the physical, based on the doctor’s recommendation. Team doctors have their own individual criteria, which ranges from team to team. Also remember who signs the team doctor’s paycheck.

Once again these are just reports, and we have to take them with a grain of salt. This move to void Saffold’s deal, may be a blessing in disguise. Still the criticism will continue and questions will remain.

Who is in charge here? Is Reggie the right man for the job? Is Mark interfering in football decisions? Are Mark and Reggie at odds? Another tough day for Raider Nation.