It wouldn't be a Las Vegas Raiders offseason without some drama. But fortunately for Klint Kubiak and John Spytek's squad, the turmoil has been kept to a minimum, at least in terms of what the Raiders can control. The only caveat seems to be the lingering Taron Johnson holdout-like situation.
Now, this is not an official holdout by definition, as Las Vegas is still in the voluntary portion of its offseason. But it has been reported that Johnson is unhappy with his contract, specifically the lack of guaranteed money, and he seemingly won't put his body in harm's way if it isn't mandatory to do so.
On top of that, linebacker Nakobe Dean, who signed a big deal with the Raiders this offseason, wasn't at the first two days of OTAs, albeit for a seemingly good reason. But new head coach Klint Kubiak doesn't seem to be worried about either of them not being there, as he downplayed the situation.
Las Vegas Raiders HC not worried about Taron Johnson or Nakobe Dean's OTA absence
Kubiak spoke to the media on Wednesday after the second day of OTAs, and he was asked about the absence of both Johnson and Dean. Again, he either didn't want to sound the alarms, or these two not practicing is a true nothing-burger in his eyes.
"It's a voluntary time of year," Kubiak said. "Can't wait to get those guys back. Really fired up for the guys that are here. But been in contact with both of those guys and they've been doing a great job. Some here and some away."
It should be noted that, while Johnson has, by all accounts, been absent all offseason, Dean has been at the majority of the team's offseason program. Plus, based on his Instagram story, it appears that Dean was attending his wife's graduation on Wednesday, so his absence shouldn't be prolonged.
Johnson, on the other hand, is in a different boat. It appears that he isn't willing to bend the knee at this point, and the Raiders haven't caved, either. But something will have to break if the two sides want Johnson wearing the Silver and Black this season and making an appropriate amount to do so.
As Kubiak pointed out, though, this is all voluntary. Yes, a strong insinuation that it isn't actually voluntary probably exists somewhere in Las Vegas, even if it isn't said explicitly. But by the rules, teams cannot require their players to be at the facility or participate in these practices.
Ultimately, things will shake out how they shake out. Raider Nation should probably expect to see Dean back a lot sooner than Johnson, but ideally, the latter situation gets wrapped up rather quickly as well. And there is plenty of time to figure things out.
Hopefully, by the time the season rolls around, these two absences are in the distant rearview mirror, and it is all water under the bridge for these two key veteran defenders that Rob Leonard and the Raiders will need.
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