Raiders 2022 offseason: 3 reasons the defense got better on Day 1
Eyes to the future
During the 2022 season, the Raiders’ take an $8 million cap hit for the Yannick deal. Next season, however, Ngakoue’s deal is done and thus off the books for Vegas. This couldn’t come at a better time, as quarterback Derek Carr and Hunter Renfrow will need new contracts by this time.
Freeing up this cap space helps retain your franchise quarterback as well as his favorite weapon. Per sources, these are two players the Raiders’ new front office plans on keeping around, but neither player has officially entered the negotiation phase as of yet.
Renfrow was drafted in 2019; The same ’19 draft class that both Trayvon Mullen and Rock Ya-Sin hail from. The third-down superstar put up his first 1k yard season last year, where he was the only constant good in a receiving corps that struggled through the latter half of the season. For his efforts, Renfrow joined Maxx Crosby and AJ Cole in the Pro Bowl.
Carr has been the heart and soul of the Raiders since he was drafted in 2014. Going all the way back to the ’14 pre-season of his rookie year, you can find tales of how Carr took over the locker room.
Former Packer James Jones played with Carr and the Raiders this season. This was the year Matt Schaub was brought in to take over quarterback duties, but Derek Carr had other plans. As Jones tells it, the entire team knew there was no chance the Raiders head into the regular season without Carr as their starting quarterback.
Jones also dubbed Carr “mini Rodgers”; An extremely high praise being compared to the reigning back-to-back MVP. Funny enough, Carr and Rodgers are close friends, and remain close to this day. The Raider quarterback explained this past season how he constantly reaches out to Rodgers when he needs help, and Green Bay’s No.12 is always happy to assist Derek.
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Entering the final year of his original contract extension, Dave Ziegler has been open about wanting to retain the quarterback, adding they’ll focus on it when it’s time. With more free money available next year from the Ya-Sin swap, it’s that much easier.