Oakland Raiders: Free Agency Checklist
Offensive Line
Plan A: Resign Donald Penn
Sign Keleche Osemele
Plan B: Sign Keleche Osemele
Sign Jeff Allen
The Donald Penn situation is murky at best, but we can infer that he is feeling slighted in some way. Most likely, he wanted a huge paycheck and Reggie McKenzie wants to stick to a certain number. I can understand this mentality for a 33 year old left tackle with a limited future. With that in mind, it is not imperative that the Raiders sign Penn if they can sign Osemele. The versatile guard/tackle from the Ravens played well at left tackle for part of the season and is reportedly viewed by many as a left tackle.
Personally, I am high on the prospect the Raiders drafted in the fourth round last year from Miami. Jon Feliciano however, did struggle when he received starts at right guard. Of course as a rookie that is exactly what we should all expect, but that also leaves the door open to sign a player such as Jeff Allen who is a talented 26 year old guard from the Kansas City Chiefs.
I am open to both possibilities, but Keleche Osemele should be an absolute imperative for the Raiders. His agent would be stupid to sign a deal with the Ravens at this point, and even with the recent cuts/restructures, they simply lack any significant equity in their current cap to make the room necessary to make the sort of contract the Raiders can offer.
Contracts:
Penn: 2 years, 18 million
Osemele: 5 years 65 million, 30 million guaranteed in first 2 years
Jeff Allen: 4 years 40 million, 25 million guaranteed first 2 years