The Oakland Raiders top priority next offseason was making sure Rodney Hudson re-signed, however, they got that deal done on Friday.
This offseason, the Oakland Raiders did a fantastic job bringing in talent on both sides of the ball. First-year general manager Mike Mayock proved he could cut his chops in his new role, and he and Jon Gruden have formed a tandem that is trying to bring the winning culture back to the Raiders organization.
Heading into next offseason, one of the bigger to-dos was re-signing Rodney Hudson, the team’s Pro Bowl center who was heading into free agency. On Friday, the Raiders got out ahead of Hudson’s pending free agency, signing him to a three-year extension, and locking down the anchor of their offensive line.
The move not only makes the Raiders offensive line stronger for 2020, but ensures that Derek Carr‘s top lineman will be on the roster for the first few years in Las Vegas. Hudson should be an All-Pro every season, as he is the best pass-blocking center in all of football, and with the addition of Trent Brown at right tackle, the Raiders have now invested a ton of money into their offensive line.
Sure, Kolton Miller is still a bit of a question mark, and the guard position is up in the air after an injury to Gabe Jackson, but Hudson and Brown are arguably the best in the game at their positions. Brown is making the move to the right side, which is his better spot, and in Hudson, you have that captain along the offensive line that every team needs to be successful.
The Raiders will be the Las Vegas Raiders next season, and you know that this front office wants to make sure they head to Sin City with a solid roster in place. No matter what the so-called experts say, Hudson is the premier center in all of football, and somewhere, Derek Carr has to be smiling.