Eric Berry Would Be Welcomed In Oakland

The Oakland Raiders could use another safety, especially one of the caliber of Eric Berry.

Eric Berry would be an incredible addition to the Oakland Raiders, if they were able to sign him via free agency. It’s no secret that the all-Pro safety is a very impressive football player, but he may be an even more impressive human being.

Berry does a lot of charity work in Kansas City and his hometown of Fairburn, Georgia, as well as in Tennessee where he went to college. His Eric Berry Foundation helps and inspires thousands of children a year through sports. He was the 2015 KC nominee for Walter Payton Man of the Year. He’s a giver.

And a fighter.

It’s well known that Berry was diagnosed with cancer, Hodgkins Lymphoma, late in the 2014 season. He battled throughout the offseason through chemotherapy, and was declared cancer-free. Not even a year after being diagnosed with cancer, Berry returned to the field and lit it up. He was named an AP All-Pro, a Pro Bowler, and the 2015 NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

His fellow Chiefs teammates have made it very clear how much Berry’s mere presence means to the team, and how inspirational just being around him is on a daily basis.

Any team could use a player like that. But a team with a need at safety that’s a division rival? Hello, Oakland Raiders!

The Raiders need another safety alongside Karl Joseph. Berry and Joseph are traditionally both strong safeties, but Joseph has the speed and range to move to free safety, if needed. It would be an epic pairing, as both can cover and play the run quite astutely. Joseph is not yet on Berry’s level — few are — but he has the potential to get there. Having Berry as a mentor would expedite that growth.

Yet it doesn’t seem possible. No team would let a player as good and with as special a story as Berry walk away. But do they have a choice?

The Chiefs are in a conundrum, with Berry a free agent again this year. He was a free agent last year, and that got a little ugly. Talks broke down early on in negotiations in 2016, and Berry skipped training camp after a long-term deal couldn’t be reached.

Berry got the franchise tag along with a $10.8 million tender. He signed in late August to rejoin the team, and it didn’t hurt their relationship as Berry stated when 2016 ended he hopes to stay in KC.

You’d think such an inspirational player whose mere presence gives hope and motivation to his teammates and is also a three-time All-Pro and a Walter Payton MOY nominee would warrant top priority from his team.

Yet despite Berry’s decree and the team’s insistence talks are progressing well, that doesn’t seem to be the case. The Chiefs have other looming free agents, like Dontari Poe, who are also up for a big payday. Berry’s camp and the Chiefs are again far apart in negotiations. This time, with all he’s been through and done for the team and community, Berry may not be as forgiving.

It’s looking like potential franchise tag time again for Berry. He’s been very clear he will not play under the franchise tag for a second year. Very clear. He’s willing to sit out 2017 if needed. For a man who missed 2011 with an ACL injury and battled back from cancer, this seems like more than player bluster. Berry will make 120% of his 2016 franchise tag salary, or roughly $13M, on the franchise tag in 2017.

March 1 is the franchise tag deadline. If they do tag him, even Chiefs pundits feel he’s likely to hold to his word. 

"In an interview with the Kansas City Star, Berry said about the franchise tag “I’ll just take the time to chill with my family, honestly, I’ll sit the season out. I just want what’s right, that’s it.”"

Berry’s frustration is justified. This is the second straight year a long-term deal isn’t in place for the heart and soul of the team. Other comparable but less accomplished safeties like Harrison Smith and Tyrann Mathieu both got big paydays in 2016.

Berry just wants what’s right, which is a long-term deal from a team whom he’s led and inspired for years.

The Chiefs also lost long-time and well respected personnel man Chris Ballard to the Colts, where he’s the new GM. That cannot help negotiations this late in the game. Ballard may try to steal some Chiefs away to Indy, but that’s a different story.

The Chiefs are generally pretty good at locking up the free agents they want to keep. But they did lose Rodney Hudson to the Raiders in a heated battle. The Chiefs really wanted to keep Hudson, but the Raiders stole him away. Could they do the same to Berry?

The Chiefs are in a tough spot, with Poe also looming and with them having only about $5M over the cap to play with, per Sportrac. They’ll have to do some major roster finagling and contract shuffling if they want to bring back both of these defensive gems. They can gain about $16M or so if they release backup QB Nick Foles and oft-injured RB Jamaal Charles. They have options.

The Raiders have a solid roster from top to bottom, but the deep passing game and coverage in general was one of their glaring issues. Berry is a top-notch cover safety who would alleviate the Raiders inability to cover tight ends since Ken Norton Jr. joined the team. He would rejoin former teammate Sean Smith in the defensive backfield, and serve as a mentor to Joseph and any future young talent added to the secondary.

Berry’s presence immediately improves a run defense as well. He had 77 tackles in 2016 and is always around the ball. He’s a very instinctual player with five Pro Bowl appearances in his five full seasons. He missed all of 2011 with a torn ACL.

He’s a leader, a philanthropist and an all-around impressive person. The Raiders are actively seeking that type of player. Berry fits right in to the Del Rio philosophy of accountability, leadership and excellence.

It may be wishful thinking, stealing another excellent player from the Chiefs, but the Raiders again have quite a bit of money (close to $50M per Sportrac) to work with and a need at the position. Depending on which players get extensions and re-signed, and depending on which players get cut, McKenzie could certainly make the financials work.

Reggie Nelson played well last season but has lost a step and was in the right place at the right time more than once. Berry would be a huge upgrade — as would Joseph moving over.

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Berry wouldn’t come cheap, of course, as $13M per season seems likely as the top-paid safety in the NFL — but the Raiders can make it work to afford him. Particularly if they cut Nelson, who has  a $4.25M cap hit but nothing in dead money if the Raiders released him. Reggie McKenzie is excellent at arranging those types of contracts.

It’s unlikely, as the Chiefs would have to both fail to reach a long-term deal and apply the tag to Berry for him to hit the market. But it is possible, with Poe also looming and little money to work with for the Chiefs.

If it were to happen, the Raiders would be snagging their chief rival’s inspirational and on-field leader. They’d improve their own talent level and fill a need in coverage on the back end. It would be a win-win-win for the Raiders, completely.

Next: Raiders Should Sign Garcon

The Raiders have bigger immediate needs at inside linebacker, corner, and right tackle. So it’s unlikely they even pursue Berry even if he’s available, with cheaper options like Micah Hyde and Tony Richardson available, and Nate Allen still on the Raiders roster. But if it’s possible, it must be heavily considered.