Details On Prince Amukamara's Contract
- Prince Amukamara will take a considerable pay cut to join the Raiders. The veteran cornerback signed a one-year, $1.05MM deal, per Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Amukamara will qualify for the new minimum salary benefit, counting only $888K against the Raiders’ cap. The Bears re-signed Amukamara in 2018, and he was set to make $9MM in base salary on that contract this season.
Raiders Waive CB Nick Nelson
On Monday, the Raiders officially announced their signing of cornerback Prince Amukamara. To make room on the roster, they waived fellow corner Nick Nelson with a failed-physical designation.
Nelson was cut with a failed physical designation, bringing his Raiders run to a close after just two years. Nelson was a fourth-round pick of the (then Oakland) Raiders in 2018 and saw time in ten games as a rookie. Last year, however, he spent most of his time on the practice squad. Jon Gruden called him up to the varsity squad ahead of Week 15, but he landed on injured reserve before the season finale.
Unfortunately, Nelson is no stranger to the injury bug. Just weeks before the draft, Nelson suffered a torn meniscus during a private workout for an NFL club. The Raiders still used a fourth-round choice on the 5’11” Wisconsin product, believing that his coverage skills would translate to the pro game and make up for his stature.
If Nelson goes unclaimed in the next 24 hours, he’ll be free to sign with any team. If he gets picked up, his new team will be on the hook for the two remaining years on his deal.
Longest-Tenured Head Coaches In The NFL
Things move fast in today’s NFL and the old adage of “coaches are hired to be fired” has seemingly never been more true. For the most part, teams change their coaches like they change their underwear. 
A head coach can take his team to the Super Bowl, or win the Super Bowl, or win multiple Super Bowls, but they’re never immune to scrutiny. Just ask Tom Coughlin, who captured his second ring with the Giants after the 2011 season, only to receive his pink slip after the 2015 campaign.
There are also exceptions. Just look at Bill Belichick, who just wrapped up his 20th season at the helm in New England. You’ll also see a few others on this list, but, for the most part, most of today’s NFL head coaches are relatively new to their respective clubs. And, history dictates that many of them will be elsewhere when we check in on this list in 2022.
Over one-third (12) of the NFL’s head coaches have coached no more than one season with their respective teams. Meanwhile, less than half (15) have been with their current clubs for more than three years. It seems like just yesterday that the Cardinals hired Kliff Kingsbury, right? It sort of was – Kingsbury signed on with the Cardinals in January of 2019. Today, he’s practically a veteran.
Here’s the list of the current head coaches in the NFL, ordered by tenure, along with their respective start dates:
- Bill Belichick (New England Patriots): January 27, 2000
- Sean Payton (New Orleans Saints): January 18, 2006
- Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers): January 27, 2007
- John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens): January 19, 2008
- Pete Carroll (Seattle Seahawks): January 9, 2010
- Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs): January 4, 2013
- Bill O’Brien (Houston Texans): January 2, 2014
- Mike Zimmer (Minnesota Vikings): January 15, 2014
- Dan Quinn (Atlanta Falcons): February 2, 2015
- Doug Pederson (Philadelphia Eagles): January 18, 2016
- Sean McDermott (Buffalo Bills): January 11, 2017
- Doug Marrone (Jacksonville Jaguars): December 19, 2016 (interim; permanent since 2017)
- Anthony Lynn (Los Angeles Chargers): January 12, 2017
- Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams): January 12, 2017
- Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers): February 6, 2017
- Matt Nagy (Chicago Bears): January 7, 2018
- Matt Patricia (Detroit Lions): February 5, 2018
- Frank Reich (Indianapolis Colts): February 11, 2018
- Jon Gruden (Las Vegas Raiders): January 6, 2018
- Mike Vrabel (Tennessee Titans): January 20, 2018
- Kliff Kingsbury (Arizona Cardinals): January 8, 2019
- Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals): February 4, 2019
- Vic Fangio (Denver Broncos): January 10, 2019
- Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers): January 8, 2019
- Brian Flores (Miami Dolphins): February 4, 2019
- Adam Gase (New York Jets): January 11, 2019
- Bruce Arians (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): January 8, 2019
- Ron Rivera (Washington Redskins): January 1, 2020
- Matt Rhule (Carolina Panthers): January 7, 2020
- Mike McCarthy (Dallas Cowboys): January 7, 2020
- Joe Judge (New York Giants): January 8, 2020
- Kevin Stefanski (Cleveland Browns): January 13, 2020
Raiders Had Interest In LeSean McCoy
We haven’t heard much about LeSean McCoy‘s market lately, but there have, in fact, been suitors. The Raiders showed interest in Shady before they added Devontae Booker to their running back depth chart, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: LeSean McCoy Makes His Case To The Eagles]
McCoy “could see” himself with the Eagles, but Howie Roseman & Co. may be more keen on Carlos Hyde, if they can get the 1,000-yard rusher to agree to a dirt-cheap one-year deal. Last year, Hyde averaged 4.4 yards per carry with the Texans, proving that he still has lots left in the tank. McCoy, meanwhile, had a strange up-and-down year with the Super Bowl champs. After a red-hot start in his new Chiefs uniform, McCoy would up as a late-season afterthought.
Still, Jon Gruden loves his veteran players and the Raiders considered McCoy to join starter Josh Jacobs, Jalen Richard, Rod Smith, and third-round rookie Lynn Bowden. The Raiders probably don’t have room for McCoy, but plenty of other teams could be interested in the one-time superstar. If the Philly return doesn’t go down, the Bears would be a logical landing spot for someone like McCoy – ditto for fellow free agent RB Devonta Freeman.
Raiders To Sign Prince Amukamara
The Raiders are set to sign cornerback Prince Amukamara, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). The financial terms are not yet known, but Garafolo hears that everything is in place for a deal. 
The former first-round pick has been looking for work since he was cut by the Bears in February. His career began with the Giants, where he spent the first five seasons of his career. After that, he spent a year with the Jaguars before signing yet another one-year pact – this time with the Bears – in 2017. In 2018, they gave him a three-year, $27MM re-up, but he did not get to see the last year of that deal.
Amukamara was a key player in the Bears’ secondary as he started alongside Kyle Fuller. Now, he’ll spend his age-31 season and ninth pro year in Las Vegas.
Last year, Amukamara graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 41 corner in the NFL – he fared better in 2018, when the Bears had the league’s best D. For his career, Amukamara has started in 99 of his 113 games – he’s more or less been first-string for every campaign except his rookie year. With the Raiders, he’ll fight for his place alongside Trayvon Mullen, Damon Arnette, slot/safety Lamarcus Joyner, Amik Robertson, Isaiah Johnson, and Nevin Lawson.
If the Amukamara deal should fall though for some reason, look for Las Vegas to pivot to Dre Kirkpatrick. The longtime Bengal, whom Cincinnati released at the end of March, is a fallback option for the Raiders, per NFL insider Adam Caplan (via Twitter). It sounds as if the Raiders will not pursue Kirkpatrick if the Amukamara deal is finalized, but Las Vegas could probably stand to add another veteran CB to its depth chart.
Contract Details: Jets, Charlton, Gipson
Some assorted contract details to pass along:
- Tashaun Gipson, S (Bears): One year. Deal is worth $1.05MM, including $550K in guaranteed money. Via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter.
- Johnathan Joseph, CB (Titans): One year. Deal is worth $2MM, including $1.5MM guaranteed. Additional $500K in “reachable incentives” and another $750K in standard incentives. Contract worth a maximum of $3.25MM. Via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com on Twitter and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network on Twitter.
- Frank Gore, RB (Jets): One year. Deal is worth $1.05MM, including $200K guaranteed. Cap charge of $750K. Via Pelissero on Twitter and ESPN’s Rich Cimini on Twitter.
- Jordan Jenkins, LB (Jets): One-year. Deal is worth $3.75MM. $3.25MM in guaranteed money, including $1.75MM signing bonus and $1.5MM base salary. $500K in roster bonuses, $250K in “likely to be earned” incentives. Via Cimini on Twitter.
- Taco Charlton, DE (Chiefs): One year. Deal is worth $825K. Via Pelissero on Twitter.
- Devontae Booker, RB (Raiders): Signed. One year deal worth veteran salary benefit ($887.5K cap charge). Includes $50K signing bonus. Via ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter.
Raiders Made Offer To Frank Gore
Despite going into his age-37 season — which is nearly uncharted territory for running backs — Frank Gore received multiple offers in free agency.
Before deciding on the Jets, Gore indicated the Raiders made him an offer. Gore told NFL.com’s Jim Trotter he chose the Jets because of his relationship with Adam Gase. Gore worked with Gase with the 2008 49ers and with the Dolphins 10 years later. Gase tried to bring Gore with him to Jets last year as well.
“I got an opportunity to get back with a good friend and a guy I respect, and I’m happy that he wanted me to be on his team,” Gore said of signing with Gase’s Jets. “And I’m happy to be around a guy who has done some great things in this league in Le’Veon Bell. That can motivate me. And I can help out the young kid that they just drafted, La’Mical Perine.”
While the Jets used a fourth-round pick on Perine, the Raiders did not draft a pure running back. They did add Kentucky gadget player Lynn Bowden Jr., who could be used in the backfield. The Raiders also extended Jalen Richard to serve as Josh Jacobs‘ backup, re-signed Rod Smith in March and, after Gore did not accept their offer, pivot to ex-Bronco Devontae Booker.
Gore would have provided the Raiders some insurance as a between-the-tackles runner, though Jacobs staying healthy would not leave him much room for work. Gore averaged a career-low 3.6 yards per carry last season but gained 599 rushing yards and obviously brings more experience than any other Raiders’ backups. The NFL’s No. 3 all-time leading rusher supplies more experience than nearly anyone who has ever played the position.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/11/20
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: LB Derrick Moncrief
The Raiders signed Moncrief, a former CFL all-star, to a reserve/future deal in January. Since then, they’ve added a number of linebackers via free agency and the draft, squeezing the 26-year-old out of the 90-man roster. In March, the Raiders picked up Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski to bolster their LB group. Then, in the third round, they tapped Clemson product Tanner Muse. Moncrief will look to catch on with another NFL club while his former league faces a likely cancellation of the 2020 season.
Raiders' Joyner Stance Affected Harris Pursuit
- The Raiders are not looking to move Lamarcus Joyner back to safety. They hope to keep the ex-Rams safety as a slot corner, to the point it affected the team’s pursuit of All-Decade defender Chris Harris, Vic Tafur of The Athletic writes (subscription required). The Raiders were in on Harris, but the ex-Broncos slot standout preferred the Chargers to the Raiders.
Raiders To Sign Devontae Booker
The Raiders have agreed to sign Devontae Booker, according to Sean Cunningham of ABC 10 (Twitter link). On Thursday morning, the deal was also confirmed by NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). 
Booker, formerly of the Broncos, will look to stick as a backup to Josh Jacobs. The Raiders also have third-round rookie Lynn Bowden on hand, so there are no more than two spots up for grabs on their RB depth chart. Jalen Richard and Rod Smith are also vying for their spots.
Booker was drafted in the fourth-round of the 2016 draft and went on to have an inconsistent run with the Broncos. As a rookie, he started in six games and finished out with 31 catches and 877 all-purpose yards. After that, he continued to play a role on passing downs, but his workload fluctuated over time and his carries dwindled. Last year, Booker suited up for all 16 games, but finished out with just two totes and six catches.By comparison, he had 105 catches and 289 carries from 2016-2018.