The Las Vegas Raiders came into the 2021 offseason with one of the higher cap numbers in the NFL as they were expected, as of March 5, to be close to $4 million over the cap limit. Several moves had to be made to clear up cap space and the Raiders have done so and will likely continue to do so throughout the offseason.
The obvious move came early on with the decision to release Tyrell Williams after he was on injured reserve for all of 2020, a move that saved $11.6 million in cap space for 2021. Another move that was also quite obvious is the eventual release of DB Lamarcus Joyner who was healthy during his tenure in Oakland and Las Vegas but was largely ineffective.
This move saved $8.7 million but comes with a $2.5 million cap hit as well.
Two other moves that were not quite as obvious were the decisions to release both offensive guards, Richie Incognito and Gabe Jackson. Incognito’s release saves $5.7 million but there are reports that he plans to return to Las Vegas on a cheaper deal but he could also sign elsewhere. Jackson’s release saves $9.6 million and he is expected to find another team in 2021, ending his seven-year run with the Raiders after they drafted him in 2014.
Most recently of course is the report that the Raiders will be trading RT Trent Brown and a 2022 seventh-round pick to the New England Patriots in exchange for a 2022 fifth-round pick. He had originally signed a four-year $66 million deal in 2019 but there was no guaranteed money after year two.
Where do the Raiders stand after trading Trent Brown?
The Raiders were likely going to release him anyway but this at least gives them something in return and saves them $14 million in cap space. After all of these moves, the Raiders will have cleared $49.3 million and gives them close to $30 million in cap with some other moves potentially in the works as well.
If my math is right, trading Trent Brown bumps the #Raiders up to about $27.8 million in cap space using the current salary cap floor of $180 million.
— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) March 9, 2021
Can free up more by dropping Marcus Mariota and others. Also, the final cap figure is expected to rise higher.
As the tweet above mentions, the Raiders still have other options and there may be some other players on the chopping block such as Marcus Mariota, Carl Nassib, and Jalen Richard who all have significant cap hits that could be used to sign other players. Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock seem to be atoning for their recent mistakes in free agency and in doing so should give the Raiders the ability to chase some free agents this spring.
Stay tuned to Just Blog Baby for all the latest news and rumors as the Raiders continue to clear space and target free agents to fight their way back into the NFL playoff picture.