10 Las Vegas Raiders who have something to prove in 2020
RT Trent Brown
It may be strange to list one of the Raiders few Pro Bowl players from 2019 here but Trent Brown’s place here has more to do with his massive contract and his durability. Brown has been a full-time starter for four years, but has played all 16 games just twice.
His 2017 season ended prematurely after ten games with a shoulder injury, and the 2019 season was cut short after 11 games with a pectoral injury.
The Raiders made Brown one of the highest paid tackles in the NFL with a 4 year, $66 million contract and while he was on the field he certainly lived up to that deal. However, if his health continues to be a concern, then the Raiders have an out after the 2020 season, and Brown will not count for anything towards the 2021 salary cap or beyond in dead cap.
To put it bluntly, while Brown is an incredible talent and huge difference maker when he is healthy, if he is not able to stay on the field in 2020 then he may be looking for another team in 2021. Teams have to make difficult financial decisions every year, and if they get close to replacement level play from one of the backup tackles, then they may choose to shed his salary for cap relief moving forward.