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Oakland Raiders Close to Terrance Knighton Agreement

By Chase Ruttig

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Dec 28, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos defensive tackle Terrance Knighton (98) before the start of the game against the Oakland Raiders at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

As the Oakland Raiders enter what is looking like the second wave of free agent targets following the decisions of Randall Cobb, Jeremy Maclin, Ndamukong Suh along with others it appears that the team are starting to get more successful in nearing deals with potential big name free agents.

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One of those names the Raiders are being reported as close to signing is a name that has been attached to Oakland for months as a former player of Jack Del Rio is likely to make all of the winter rumors come true should negotiations between the two sides continue to progress.

Oakland Raiders insider Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Monday afternoon that the team are nearing an agreement with Denver Broncos Terrance Knighton as 2015 NFL Free Agency is set to officially open on Tuesday afternoon. Something that surprises nobody after Knighton made public comments about his potential desire to play for Del Rio again after the former Broncos defensive coordinator took the Oakland job.

Tafur noted that a deal is not done yet, leaving the window open for Knighton to either stay in Denver or sign elsewhere even if there is an impending sense that a deal will get done between the two sides if all goes well in the final stage of negotiations.

Knighton’s history in the NFL is entangled with Del Rio, which has helped the Raiders in recruiting the defensive tackle. Stops in Jacksonville as well as Denver has made Del Rio the coach of Knighton for essentially what has been his entire stay in the league, a bond that has remained tight enough for Knighton to consider a third team that is being led by Del Rio on his list of potential destinations.

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If general manager Reggie McKenzie brings Knighton in it will be to form what would be a formidable interior of the defensive line alongside rookie Justin “Jelly” Ellis who shined in the 2014 season as a mid-round pick. Pairing the veteran in Knighton alongside Ellis would make a dangerous pairing that would help the Raiders in both the run game as well as the pass rush for years to come even as “Pot Roast” is nearing the tail end of his prime on this next contract.

With two defensive tackles already reportedly off the board and signing with teams in Florida (Suh to Miami along with former Dolphin Jared Odrick going to Jacksonville) expect Knighton’s deal to be high priced with a potential lower value than those already off to new teams. At 28 Knighton should expect big money, but not too high priced that he is a bad deal for the Raiders who won’t be likely to pay Pot Roast an amount that is too far above his market value to come to a destination he is likely willing to land in to play for Del Rio.

There are too many factors involved to guarantee that the Raiders will close the deal, but a respected insider such as Tafur reporting the two sides are close is definitely promising at the very least. Knighton has expected interest in coming to Oakland all along and it now appears that all that needs to be settled are the details in getting him to switch from the Broncos to the Raiders. The next coming days will tell us if the two sides can make it work or if Knighton will be asking too much for McKenzie to take the plunge on the 28 year old space eater with veteran experience.

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