Analyzing the Oakland Raiders free agency moves so far after a busy opening to March for general manager Reggie McKenzie.
Over the past few seasons, the Raiders have had a very distinct strategy in regards to free agent signings, often eschewing big-name and big-money players – despite having massive cap space going into last season – in favor of capable veteran starters or past-their-prime veterans on low-money deals. So far, the strategy appears to have shifted.
The Raiders made three big-ticket free agent signings within the first week of the open market period, making headlines and exciting fans and media alike. With a massive amount of cap space to play with and many key players (Derek Carr, Amari Cooper, Khalil Mack) with a year or two still to go until re-signings need to happen, the McKenzie regime stepped it up big time to add key starters at important positions.