The Oakland Raiders have the best center in the NFL in Rodney Hudson, and he has to be priority No. 1 as he heads to free agency next offseason.
Heading into the 2019 NFL season, the Oakland Raiders have a lot of work to do when it comes to their roster. Not only do they have more than their fair share of free agents, but they are also on the clock three times in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, so new general manager Mike Mayock better get to work.
Of all the pending free agents this season, tight end Jared Cook is probably the biggest, as he has led the Raiders in receiving yards the past two seasons. However, the 2020 free agent class has one huge name at the top of the list, and that name is Rodney Hudson, the team’s Pro Bowl center.
A lot of talk has gone on this offseason already about whether or not Derek Carr should be the team’s quarterback going forward. At 27-years old, Carr is already on the brink of being the most prolific quarterback in team history, so the narrative that he should not be the guy going forward is a bit laughable.
Since he took over as the starting quarterback in 2014, Carr has had two centers, with his current one being the best at his position in football. During Carr’s rookie season, he had 25-years old Stefan Wisniewski as his center during a 3-13 campaign, and the team made sure they would bolster the position that offseason.
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During the 2015 offseason, Oakland signed Hudson away from the Kansas City Chiefs, inking him to a five-year contract worth over $44 million. That contract included $20 million in guaranteed money, and while that was a good price for the former second round pick, he is going to be expecting a lot more in 2020.
That is when his current contract expires, and if I were running the Raiders, I would back up the Brinks Truck to have him back for the remainder of his career. Hudson is the kind of dominant player that does not come around too often, and we have already seen the Raiders part way with one of those kind of players this past offseason in Khalil Mack.
In his four years with Oakland, Hudson has allowed only two sacks, and while I give you a minute to let that sink in, imagine how bad this offensive line would be without him. Last season, the Raiders started rookies at the offensive tackle positions, and guards Kelechi Osemele and Gabe Jackson both missed time due to injury.
Incredibly, Hudson was not a Pro Bowler in 2018, but the entire league knows how good this guy is. He has not missed a game in his last three seasons, and you can be sure he is going to be even more hungry entering a contract year in 2019.
No matter who is at quarterback, or who is running the ball in 2020, Hudson has to be the man in the middle along this offensive line. He will be only 30-years old next season, and has a lot of good football left in him, so let us hope that he remains in the Silver and Black until he is done playing.