Raiders TE Darren Waller Leaves Klutch Sports
Per Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Raiders tight end Darren Waller has left Klutch Sports, the agency founded by NBA superstar LeBron James and his close friend, Rich Paul. Waller signed with Klutch less than a year ago.
Waller’s decision is particularly notable because of his contract status. The soon-to-be 30-year-old is slated to earn non-guaranteed base salaries of $6.25MM in 2022 and ’23, and given his elite performance and his importance to the Raiders’ offense, he was naturally mentioned as a candidate for a new contract earlier this year.
Subsequent reports suggested that an extension for Waller is a “priority” for Las Vegas, and we heard in June that a deal was “imminent” (though that June report also indicated that the team may be trying to delay the matter to 2023, and as clubs generally do not like to negotiate contracts with players who have multiple years of club control remaining, that could well be the case).
Waller did report to training camp on time, but he has been dealing with a hamstring injury and has practiced just once since July 30. The fact that the ailment is considered a minor one has led to speculation that Waller’s absence is more a function of his contract situation than his health, though there is nothing to substantiate those rumors at this point.
Whatever the reason, the fact remains that Waller has decided to change representation at a time when he is looking to sign the most lucrative contract of his career. The extension he signed in October 2019 was something of a gamble on the Raiders’ part, as the former sixth-round pick of the Ravens was suspended multiple times during his stint in Baltimore for violations of the league’s substance-abuse policy, including a year-long ban in 2017. The Raiders plucked him off the Ravens’ taxi squad in November 2018, and they handed him his current deal, a ~$7.5MM/year accord, after a few encouraging performances to open the 2019 season.
Over the 2019-20 campaigns, Waller rewarded the team’s faith in him by averaging just under 100 catches for 1,170 yards. Although the 2021 season saw him miss time due to a knee injury, the Georgia Tech product ranks second among tight ends in catches and yards over the past three years, behind only Chiefs star Travis Kelce.
The remaining club control, along with last year’s knee injury and the current hamstring issue, could prevent a deal from getting done this summer. But assuming there are no long-term health concerns, Waller will undoubtedly be shooting for the top of the tight end market, which is currently paced by George Kittle‘s $15MM AAV and $40MM in practical guarantees. He must wait until Wednesday to hire a new agent, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk hears that the plan is to retain super agent Drew Rosenhaus.
Such a hire would seem to indicate that Waller has no intention of waiting until 2023 to see his name at or near the top of the TE pay scale.
Latest On Raiders’ Alex Leatherwood
Much remains in doubt along the Raiders’ offensive line just two weeks away from the beginning of the regular season. Part of the team’s decisions relate to Alex Leatherwood and where he lines up, but it is not a given at this point that he will be on the roster to start the regular season. 
Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that “all options are on the table” with respect to the team’s handling of last year’s 17th overall pick. That could include simply moving him back inside from right tackle to right guard, after his underwhelming performances this summer at his natural position. On the other hand, that could also mean a trade or release is possible.
The injury suffered by starter Brandon Parker left the Raiders with a need at tackle. Leatherwood competed to win back the RT spot he was drafted to occupy, but didn’t fare as well as veteran Jermaine Eluemunor or seventh-round rookie rookie Thayer Munford in training camp. Vegas is not expected to tap the free agent market to add insurance in the wake of Parker’s absence.
That certainly suggests that Leatherwood could have at least an interior role, but as Bonsignore notes, the new Raiders regime has no ties to the Alabama alum. His struggles throughout camp and the preseason have left him with a “murky future,” something which is rather noteworthy for a second-year player attached to such a significant draft investment.
The RT position, along with both guard spots, are set to be finalized in the coming days. Where Leatherwood fits in (if at all) will be a key storyline to watch as the Raiders aim to better last year’s playoff appearance.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/23/22
Tuesday marked the day teams were forced to cut down from 85 to 80 players. Here are the moves teams made made to reach the new maximum. Players who land on the reserve/PUP or reserve/NFI list must miss at least the first four regular-season games.
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: P Nolan Cooney, CB Cortez Davis, TE Josh Hokit, RB T.J. Pledger
- Waived/injured: CB Darrell Baker Jr.
Atlanta Falcons
- Released: WR Geronimo Allison, CB Lafayette Pitts, WR Auden Tate
- Waived: OLB Kuony Deng
- Waived/injured: DL Jalen Dalton
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: ILB Diego Fagot, WR Bailey Gaither, T Jaryd Jones-Smith
- Waived/injured: WR Slade Bolden
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on IR: QB Matt Corral (story), CB Duke Dawson
- Waived: TE Jared Scott
Chicago Bears
- Released: T Julie’n Davenport
- Waived: FB Jake Bargas, CB BoPete Keyes, DT LaCale London, WR Dazz Newsome
Cincinnati Bengals
- Placed on reserve/PUP list: S Brandon Wilson
- Waived: QB Drew Plitt
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on IR: TE Jeremy Sprinkle
- Waived/injured: LB Christian Sam
- Waived: K Lirim Hajrullahu, CB Quandre Mosely, WR Jaquarii Roberson
- Released from IR via injury settlement: DB Kyron Brown, WR Ty Fryfogle, RB Ryan Nall
Detroit Lions
- Waived: LB Shaun Dion Hamilton
Green Bay Packers
- Placed on reserve/PUP list: RB Kylin Hill
- Waived: WR Danny Davis
- Waived/injured: S Vernon Scott
Houston Texans
- Placed on reserve/non-football illness list: WR John Metchie (story)
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: C Alex Mollette, RB C.J. Verdell
Kansas City Chiefs
- Placed on reserve/PUP list: T Lucas Niang
- Placed on IR: RB Derrick Gore
Las Vegas Raiders
- Released: CB Chris Jones
- Waived: WR Chris Lacy
- Waived/injured: CB Cre’von LeBlanc
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: CB Michael Jacquet
- Waived/injured: CB Tevaughn Campbell, LB Damon Lloyd, OLB Ty Shelby
- Placed on reserve/NFI list: TE Stone Smartt
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on reserve/PUP list: LB Ryan Connelly, WR Blake Proehl
- Waived: TE Shaun Beyer, CB Harrison Hand
New England Patriots
- Placed on IR: LB Ronnie Perkins
- Placed on reserve/NFI list: OL Andrew Stueber
New Orleans Saints
- Released from IR via injury settlement: T Sage Doxtater, DT Jaleel Johnson
New York Giants
- Placed on reserve/PUP list: OL Nick Gates, T Matt Peart
- Placed on IR: ILB Darrian Beavers (story), TE Andre Miller, TE Ricky Seals-Jones
New York Jets
- Released: OL Caleb Benenoch, LB Kai Nacua
- Waived: S Elijah Riley, OL Isaiah Williams
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on reserve/PUP list: TE Tyree Jackson, OL Brett Toth
- Waived: CB Josh Blackwell, RB DeAndre Torrey, T Jarrid Williams
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Released: OLB Genard Avery
- Waived: WR Christian Blake, RB Mataeo Durant, QB Chris Oladokun, K Nick Sciba
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on reserve/PUP list: DT Kalia Davis, CB Jason Verrett (story)
- Released: TE Tanner Hudson
- Waived: LB Jeremiah Gemmel
- Waived/injured: OL Sam Schlueter
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: TE Cade Brewer
- Waived: G Shamarious Gilmore
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived/injured: TE Bug Howard
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on reserve/PUP list: K Caleb Shudak
Washington Commanders
- Released: T Rashod Hill
- Placed on IR: LB Nathan Gerry
- Waived: WR Kelvin Harmon
- Released from IR via injury settlement: TE Sammis Reyes
Raiders To Release RB Kenyan Drake
AUGUST 23: As Drake expected, no trade materialized. The Raiders have followed through on their pledge to release the six-year veteran running back, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
AUGUST 22: Given a two-year deal in 2021, Kenyan Drake is not expected to be part of the 2022 Raiders. Las Vegas plans to release the veteran running back, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The team is still holding out hope for a trade and will hold off on an official release for a bit, per Josina Anderson of CBS Sports (on Twitter). But Drake’s contract makes a deal difficult.
The former Dolphins and Cardinals back signed an $11MM deal during Jon Gruden‘s final offseason in charge. Teams must cut their rosters from 85 to 80 players by Tuesday afternoon. Drake does not expect a trade to happen.
“I’m just waiting on the next 24 hours,” Drake said, via Anderson (all Twitter links). “I don’t think anyone would trade for me just because of the contract situation, either way Raiders have to pay me.
“Honestly, I felt like the writing has been on the wall recently — like within the last two to three weeks. I never felt like I had a fair shot to really compete for the job coming off the injury. I feel like, as time progressed through camp, there really wasn’t a role for me to have anymore because they had guys that they brought in, they traded for and I was kind of odd man out, especially coming off my injury.”
Because the Raiders fully guaranteed Drake $8.5MM, a release will come with some dead money. The Raiders also restructured Drake’s deal in March, creating some cap space but pushing more money into the future. The Raiders will eat $8MM in dead money from this cut, though only $3.6MM of it will go on this year’s cap. The move will provide less than $500K in cap savings. A trade would lessen the blow, moving Drake’s $2.5MM base salary off the books.
Drake, 28, did not finish out his first season as a Raider; a broken leg sidelined him in December. Drake had recovered, however, and suited up for Las Vegas’ preseason games thus far. The Raiders’ new Josh McDaniels–Dave Ziegler regime added Brandon Bolden and Ameer Abdullah and drafted two backs — fourth-rounder Zamir White and seventh-rounder Brittain Brown — this offseason. The roster crunch behind Josh Jacobs left Drake without a place, with Vic Tafur of The Athletic noting (via Twitter) Abdullah — a former second-round pick but a player whose primary role in recent years has been as a kick returner — had beaten him out.
The Cardinals transition-tagged Drake in 2020, giving the former Dolphins third-rounder a nice payday to stick around following an in-season 2019 trade. Drake worked as Arizona’s primary back in 2020, and Gruden — who was interested in the Alabama product in 2020 as well, prior to the Cards tagging him — viewed him as a player who would help on passing downs. After totaling 1,092 scrimmage yards in 2020, Drake amassed just 545 (with three touchdowns) last season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/22/22
Teams have until 3pm CT Tuesday to cut their rosters from 85 to 80 players. Many franchises have started doing that early. Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: RB T.J. Pledger
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: WR Jaylon Moore
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: T Austen Pleasants, LB Khalan Tolson
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived: WR Jaivon Heiligh, WR Jack Sorenson, TE Scotty Washington
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: P Joseph Charlton, S Luther Kirk IV, T Wyatt Miller, CB Parnell Motley, TE Marcus Santos-Silva
Denver Broncos
- Claimed (from Saints): RB Devine Ozigbo
- Waived/injured: DE Marquiss Spencer
Green Bay Packers
- Released from IR via injury settlement: TE Dominique Dafney
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: WR D.J. Montgomery, DT Caeveon Patton
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Released: WR Marvin Hall
- Waived: OL Beau Benzschawel, CB Shabari Davis, TE Grayson Gunter, OLB Wyatt Ray, WR Lujuan Winningham
- Released from IR via injury settlement: DT Jeremiah Ledbetter
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: CB Brandin Dandridge, DB Nasir Greer, OL David Steinmetz
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: LB Tae Davis
- Placed on IR: DE Jordan Jenkins (story)
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived: G Cameron Hunt, K James McCourt
New Orleans Saints
- Released from IR via injury settlement: CB Jordan Brown
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived/injured: WR Lance Lenoir
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: T Adrian Ealy
- Waived: T Jordan Tucker
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived/injured: WR Austin Mack
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Placed on IR: LB Cam Gill, G Aaron Stinnie (story)
Tennessee Titans
- Released: OLB Justin Lawler
- Waived: WR Terry Godwin
- Waived/injured: CB Shakur Brown, DB Shyheim Carter
Raiders To Trade QB Nick Mullens To Vikings
The Raiders faced a decision with respect to their backup quarterback position at some point before the start of the regular season. They have apparently made it, as the team is sending Nick Mullens to the Vikings in exchange for a conditional 2024 seventh-round pick (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero). 
His colleague Ian Rapoport adds that Mullens must be active for one game this season for Vegas to receive the pick. The Raiders signed Mullens this April as an insurance policy for starter Derek Carr. The former UDFA spent three seasons in San Francisco, wining five of his 16 starts filling in for Jimmy Garoppolo. He then joined the Eagles briefly, but spent last season in Cleveland, where he made one start as the Browns were dealing with a long list of COVID-related absences.
One month after signing Mullens, though, the Raiders also traded for Jarrett Stidham. The former Patriots fourth-rounder got an opportunity to once again work with Josh McDaniels in Vegas, and has impressed in training camp and the preseason to the point where he has won the competition with Mullens for the No. 2 spot.
The Vikings, meanwhile, will likely be able to accommodate Mullens for their backup gig. Minnesota drafted Kellen Mond in the third round last year, but have also rostered Sean Mannion. The two have been receiving equal work so far in training camp, indicating that neither has significantly distanced themselves from the other. With Mullens, who has familiarity in the kind of offensive system new head coach Kevin O’Connell will install, the Vikings will have more of a known commodity behind Kirk Cousins.
The team will be likely to try and retain Mond as well, given his draft status. His hold on a 53-man roster spot has now become much less certain, though, as both the Raiders and Vikings look for clarity in their QB rooms in the build-up to campaigns carrying significant expectations.
Raiders Place OLB Jordan Jenkins On IR
Two AFC teams have now moved Jordan Jenkins off their 90-man roster this week. After the Texans released the veteran pass rusher, the Raiders have placed him on IR.
Jenkins, 28, suffered a torn ACL in the Raiders’ game against the Dolphins on Saturday, Wilson adds (on Twitter). This news certainly deals a blow to the veteran edge defender’s chances of showing a quality pass-rushing gear again. Jenkins sustained a season-ending knee injury, a PCL tear, in November 2021. The 2020s have brought injury misfortune for Jenkins, who suffered a torn shoulder labrum near the end of the 2020 season. He was also battling a calf issue during Texans camp.
This marks another setback for the Raiders’ edge-rushing situation, which has seen some unavailability affect it in recent weeks. The Raiders previously placed free agency addition Kyler Fackrell on IR and have been without Clelin Ferrell for a stretch due to injury. The latter is not a roster lock, despite being a former top-five pick.
A former third-round pick, Jenkins was a productive pass rusher for the Jets in the late 2010s. He combined for 15 sacks from 2018-19, but has not matched that work during his two 2020s campaigns. The seventh-year veteran has registered 4.5 combined sacks in 23 games with the Jets and Texans since 2020.
The Raiders still have edges Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones set to anchor their front seven, but they are thin behind this high-priced duo. Malcolm Koonce, a 2021 third-rounder, and Tashawn Bower represent other options here. Fackrell and Jenkins, however, offered veteran presences who had shown, at points, quality pass-rushing capabilities.
The Raiders should be considered likely to explore other outside options for a top bench rusher in the near future. Jason Pierre-Paul and Trey Flowers are the top free agents available, though waiver claims — once teams pare their rosters from 85 to 53 over the next nine days — may be Vegas’ preferred method to bolster its roster.
Raiders Not Eyeing Free Agent RT Addition
The Raiders did not field a particularly good offensive line in 2021. Despite the franchise hiring a new head coach-GM combination, the group remains relatively unchanged. And the team endured a recent setback; Brandon Parker is battling what is believed to be a significant injury, Tashan Reed of The Athletic notes (subscription required).
Parker has not practiced since the Raiders’ preseason opener Aug. 4. The veteran blocker who spent much of last season as the Raiders’ starting right tackle re-signed with the team on a one-year, $3.5MM deal. He continued to work with the first-stringers during the team’s offseason program and into the start of training camp. The Raiders do not view Parker’s injury as season-ending at this point, per Reed, leading to no IR placement. Players can only return from IR if they are carried through to the 53-man roster after the Aug. 30 cutdown day.
The team does have other options here. Alex Leatherwood, who moved to guard early during his rookie season, is the most prominent of those choices. Though, the Alabama product widely viewed as a first-round reach last year was Pro Football Focus’ worst-graded full-time O-lineman in 2021. Still, Josh McDaniels said earlier this summer Leatherwood would be given “every opportunity” to win the job. Veteran Jermaine Eluemunor and seventh-round rookie Thayer Munford, whom the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore notes has made “rapid” improvement, are also in the mix here. Munford, however, also suffered an injury this week.
Parker being sidelined for a chunk of the season opens the door to one of these options, with the others becoming depth pieces or swing options. The Raiders’ initial depth chart has Lester Cotton, a UDFA who has appeared in five career games, positioned as their right guard starter. Leatherwood having a road back to that gig, should he lose the right tackle competition, would make sense.
The team is not ruling out an outside addition, per Bonsignore, who adds a trade should not be discarded as an option. That may well depend on Parker’s timetable. If the team is to add a player in a non-trade capacity, Bonsignore notes a move should be expected on the waiver wire when rosters are slashed from 80 to 53 players in 10 days. But Las Vegas is not actively scouring the free agent market.
Daryl Williams resides as one of the top options available, but Reed adds the Raiders did not view him well as a Bills right tackle last season. The Bills moved Williams to guard during the 2021 slate. Bobby Massie, a longtime Bears starter who was the Broncos’ primary right-edge blocker in 2021, and Brandon Shell (a Jets and Seahawks full-timer during his career) are available as well.
Raiders Interested In Ndamukong Suh
It’s been almost two months since the Raiders were first connected to Ndamukong Suh, but we haven’t heard a whole lot since that initial report. It sounds like the lack of progress on a potential contract is due to money. According to Tashan Reed of The Athletic, the Raiders do have interest in Suh but not at his current asking price.
The Raiders’ interest in the veteran is a new development. When the two sides were first connected in June, it was mostly one sided, with Suh tweeting that a stint in Las Vegas “could be fun.” The defensive lineman also went as far as to reach out to Raiders players like Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones. However, at that time, it was reported that the Raiders weren’t especially interesting in adding the free agent to their roster.
Suh’s demands, which Reed pegs at around $9MM per year, is one reason why the Raiders haven’t made a stronger push to sign him. However, the coaching staff also wants to see what they’ve got from their in-house options. Both Johnathan Hankins and Bilal Nichols returned from PUP this week after sitting out all of training camp and most of OTAs. Reed opines that the organization wants to see how these two players look on the field before pivoting to an option like Suh.
Suh’s run of Pro Bowls stopped in 2016, but he became a key piece for Rams and Bucs Super Bowl-bound teams in the years that followed. Last season, he registered six regular-season sacks and added four hits on Matthew Stafford in Tampa Bay’s narrow divisional-round loss. The 35-year-old DT flirted with a return to the Buccaneers earlier this offseason, but it sounds like that ship has sailed. The Vikings and Browns have also been mentioned as potential landing spots for Suh.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/18/22
Today’s minor moves around the league:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: TE Josh Hokit
- Released: LB Jessie Lemonier
Indianapolis Colts
- Placed on IR: TE Drew Ogletree (story)
Las Vegas Raiders
- Released: LB Kenny Young
New England Patriots
- Signed: TE Jalen Wydermyer
- Placed on IR: RB James White (story)
New Orleans
- Signed: OL Derek Schweiger
- Waived (injury designation): OL Sage Doxtater
New York Giants
- Released from IR via injury settlement: WR Austin Proehl
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: RB Max Borghi
- Waived (injury designation): RB Master Teague
Young signed with the Raiders in May, as part of their re-vamped linebacker corps. The 27-year-old gradually grew into a larger defensive role with the Ravens before being traded midseason to the Rams in 2019. He was dealt once again last year, from Los Angeles to Denver. Starting all 13 games he appeared in between the two teams, the UCLA product had a career-year in 2021, but hasn’t done enough during training camp to catch on in Sin City. The Raiders will move forward with the likes of Denzel Perryman, Divine Deablo and free agent signings Jayon Brown and Micah Kiser in the middle of their defense.