Raiders Rumors

Raiders To Sign RB Alexander Mattison

The running back carousel continues. According to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, the Raiders are signing free agent running back Alexander Mattison. Schultz reported earlier today that the two sides were meeting, with the reporter adding that “multiple teams” were in play for the running back.

[RELATED: Vikings To Release RB Alexander Mattison]

The former third-round pick spent the first four seasons of his career backing up Dalvin Cook in Minnesota. That still meant plenty of carries for Mattison, as he topped 500 yards from scrimmage in each of his first three campaigns.

Mattison’s counting stats took a step back in 2022 when Cook unexpectedly started all 17 games. The Vikings re-signed the backup last offseason before moving on from Cook, leading to Mattison getting a full workload for the first time in his career. Ultimately, the fifth-year player wasn’t able to elevate his play with a larger role. He finished the season with only 3.9 yards per carry, and his 4.2 yards per touch tied a career low.

After finishing the season with only 892 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns, the Vikings moved on from Mattison last month. The organization has since signed Aaron Jones as a replacement.

With Josh Jacobs having left for the Packers, the Raiders had a hole atop their depth chart. Zamir White looked capable when he had a chance to start at the end of this past season, with the former fourth-round pick averaging more than 114 yards from scrimmage in his four games as the lead back. Mattison provides the Raiders with another capable running back, but neither of the players possess the same pedigree as the player they’ll be replacing.

CB Tre’Davious White Visiting Rams, Raiders

Long-time Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White is experiencing free agency for the first time in his career after being released two years into his four-year extension. Now free to choose his next destination, White has scheduled visits with the Rams and Raiders for this coming week, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

White, once the picture of elite cornerback play, has been a shell of his former self in the last three years as he’s struggled with injury. Before his first major injury, White was playing his best football. He made two consecutive Pro Bowls and earned first- and second-team All-Pro honors in those years, as well. Over his first four seasons in the NFL, White tallied 15 interceptions (including a league-leading six in 2019) and 54 passes defensed.

In 2021, he suffered a torn ACL after 11 games, cutting his season short. A three-sport athlete since middle school, White’s mental health suffered as a result of his forced inactivity during recovery. Slow-playing his recovery meant spending the first seven weeks of 2022 on injured reserve and missing three more games before finally making his return. Things went from bad to worse four games into 2023, when White suffered a torn Achilles tendon, another season-ending ailment. He’ll be working his way back from that second long-term injury with whatever team signs him.

The Rams replaced free agent cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon last week with a bit of an upgrade by bringing back Darious Williams from Jacksonville. Plus, the Rams are listing Quentin Lake as a safety on their roster after using him as a nickelback for most of 2023. White would be a nice fit to work in a three-man group with Williams and Derion Kendrick if Lake starts spending more time at safety.

In Las Vegas, the Raiders’ cornerbacks group is looking pretty different. Nickelback Nate Hobbs returns, but starting cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Amik Robertson both hit free agency this week, with Robertson immediately agreeing to a new deal with the Lions. Jakorian Bennett and Jack Jones are the top returning cornerbacks without them, so Las Vegas could certainly use the addition of a veteran defender like White.

Both teams will be hoping to land the talents of White, despite his recent injury. If neither can sign him to a contract, they’re likely to not be the only teams interested. If no news of a deal comes out of these two visits, look for more scheduled stops in the future.

Raiders Re-Sign DT John Jenkins

The Raiders have re-signed defensive tackle John Jenkins, per ESPN’s Amber Wilson. It will be a one-year, $3.25MM pact for the 34-year-old.

Las Vegas signed Jenkins to a one-year deal last March, and he wound up starting all 17 games for the club in 2023 while piling up a career-high 61 total tackles. That mark was also the highest among all of the Raiders’ interior defenders last season (h/t Levi Damien of Raiders Wire).

That said, Pro Football Focus was not particularly high on his work, assigning Jenkins a middling 61.2 overall grade and a 55.6 mark for his efforts against the run. Still, he was a key part of a unit that finished eighth in defensive DVOA in 2023, and GM Tom Telesco and head coach Antonio Pierce clearly believed that Jenkins and fellow D-lineman Adam Butler, who was re-upped just yesterday, were worthy of another contract.

Of course, the Raiders’ biggest splash this offseason was the acquisition of former Dolphin Christian Wilkins on a four-year, $110MM deal. Wilkins will replace Bilal Nichols — who recently signed with the Cardinals — and his presence will only help Jenkins and Butler, who will likely get the most reps at the other DT spot. Keeping Jenkins and Butler around will also allow the club to continue developing recent draftees like Byron Young, Matthew Butler, and Nesta Jade Silvera in a reserve capacity. Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal expects Telesco to make further additions to the defensive line in the upcoming draft.

Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the Dolphins — who employed Jenkins in 2019 and then again from 2021-22 — brought their former defender in for a visit a few days ago as part of their extensive efforts to replace Wilkins’ production. We do not know if Miami extended an offer.

Raiders To Re-Sign DL Adam Butler

Adam Butler is returning to Las Vegas. The defensive lineman is re-signing with the Raiders, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. It’ll be a one-year deal for the veteran.

After sitting out the 2022 campaign and settling for a reserve/futures contract with the Raiders last January, Butler proceeded to have one of the most productive seasons of his career in 2023. He finished the campaign having compiled 28 tackles and five sacks, and despite not starting any of his 17 appearances, he got into close to half of the Raiders’ defensive snaps. Pro Football Focus ranked Butler as a slightly above-average interior defender in 2023, although the site was particularly high on his pass-rush ability.

Butler spent four seasons with the Patriots to begin his career, including 2019 and 2020 campaigns where he combined for 10 sacks. He inked a two-year deal with Miami in 2021, but he only lasted one season with the team before getting released due to a failed physical. Butler ended up sitting out that subsequent 2022 campaign, but he rebounded nicely during his lone season in Las Vegas.

Butler should provide some continuity to the Raiders’ new-look DT corps in 2024. The team brought in a major name in Christian Wilkins to lead the grouping, while Bilal Nichols and Jerry Tillery have both left via free agency (John Jenkins remains unsigned). Butler could be in line for an even bigger role next season, although the Raiders will surely look for additional depth through the draft.

Raiders Release WR Hunter Renfrow

MARCH 14: As expected, the Garoppolo release will be classified as a post-June 1 cut. The Raiders will pick up $24MM in cap space (via The Athletic’s Vic Tafur) as a result, though the money will not be available for nearly three months, and the designation will spread out the dead cap stemming from the 2023 signing over two offseasons.

MARCH 13: The Raiders’ Jimmy Garoppolo release will come to pass today, but the Silver and Black are also moving on from another offensive cog who has not lived up to his contract. They are set to release Hunter Renfrow, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. The team has since made the Renfrow and Garoppolo releases official as well.

Given a two-year, $32MM deal during the 2022 offseason, Renfrow strangely fell out of favor while on that contract. Trade efforts last year producing no deal will lead to the veteran slot receiver becoming a street free agent today. Renfrow was set to earn an $11.2MM base salary next season.

Although the Raiders did not get much out of the Clemson alum following his 1,000-yard season — which played a central role in their Rich Bisaccia-overseen playoff berth — they will save more than $8MM with this release. Since his 1,038-yard 2021 slate, Renfrow has combined for just 585 yards over the past two seasons. This will go down as a notable mistake during the brief Josh McDaniels era, as Renfrow proved ill-fitting in the Raiders’ most recent offensive scheme despite McDaniels and Dave Ziegler signing off on the extension.

The Raiders shopped Renfrow at the 2023 deadline, doing so as Mark Davis became resigned to another staff overhaul. Prior to the McDaniels and Ziegler firings, they could not convince any team to take on Renfrow’s remaining base salary. Las Vegas did not want to eat any salary to move Renfrow last year. The team resumed its effort to trade the former Jon Gruden draftee this offseason, but nothing came to pass. Renfrow, 28, will join Tyler Boyd and Curtis Samuel among available slot receivers on the market.

Renfrow poses as an interesting candidate for a bounce-back deal, given his production under Gruden and down the stretch in 2021. The former fifth-round pick strung together back-to-back 600-plus-yard seasons in 2019 and ’20, becoming the Raiders’ top complement — as their Antonio Brown move combusted before the 2019 season — to Darren Waller in those years. With Waller sidelined for a chunk of the 2021 stretch run, Derek Carr turned to Renfrow as his top chain-mover. The Saints would profile as a potentially interested party, but Renfrow has not put much in the way of quality on tape over the past two seasons.

Raiders To Add TE Harrison Bryant

With Michael Mayer in place as the Raiders’ starting tight end, the team will bring in one of Austin Hooper‘s former teammates to fill the sidekick role at the position.

Hooper committed to the Patriots on Tuesday night, rejoining Alex Van Pelt in New England. The Raiders will move to ex-Browns role player Harrison Bryant on a one-year deal ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter notes is worth $3.25MM. Bryant could earn up to $4MM, Schefter adds.

A fourth-round pick in 2020, Bryant maintained a steady role on offense across his first three seasons in Cleveland. He made 24, 21 and 31 receptions from 2020-22, recording almost identical yardage totals during that span. Bryant’s roster security was in question last spring, however, and he found himself on the trade block. No deal emerged, but the FAU alum was limited to just 13 catches this past season.

Bryant did score three touchdowns in 2023, bringing his career total in that regard to 10. The 25-year-old will aim to remain an end zone target in Vegas while seeing an uptick in usage. Mayer drew 40 targets during his rookie season, a figure which could stand to increase moving forward. Given the team’s decision to move on from slot wideout Hunter Renfrow, though, more opportunities could be available in the middle of the field for both Mayer and Bryant.

The Browns have David Njoku on the books for another two seasons, and he will remain Cleveland’s starter at the TE spot moving forward. A depth addition could be coming during the second wave of free agency or the draft to replace Bryant’s secondary contributions, however. The latter will prepare to catch passes from at least one of Gardner Minshew or Aidan O’Connell in 2024 knowing a strong campaign could boost his market value next offseason.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

Raiders To Add DT Christian Wilkins

Following Chris Jones‘ decision to stay with the Chiefs, the Raiders will pick up this year’s top defensive free agent remaining. Christian Wilkins is heading to Las Vegas.

Like Jones, Wilkins will benefit from betting on himself in a contract year. The Raiders are giving the former Dolphins first-rounder a four-year, $110MM deal, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. Wilkins will receive a whopping $84.75MM guaranteed to help the Raiders’ defensive line.

In terms of full guarantees, the Raiders are giving the 2019 first-rounder $57.5MM, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. But Wilkins’ 2026 salary ($27.25MM) locks in on Day 3 of the 2025 league year, giving him the kind of year-out security Jones scored from the Chiefs. This effectively makes that above $84.75MM the full guarantee number. Jones and Wilkins’ deals finish off a transformative week for the D-tackle market.

To illustrate where this market has gone over the past four days, Quinnen Williams‘ $66MM in guarantees topped the field entering March. Justin Madubuike soon scored $75MM guaranteed on his Ravens extension, and Jones has a practical guarantee of $95.3MM. Wilkins, despite the Dolphins being reluctant to pay him in line with Williams last year, will outdo the Jets performer in AAV and guarantees.

At $27.5MM per year, Wilkins is now attached to the third-highest D-tackle AAV — behind only Jones and Aaron Donald. Despite committing to the Raiders for just four years (as opposed to Jones’ five-year Chiefs pledge), Jones will see his guarantees spike to this rare place. Only four edge rushers match the guarantee Wilkins just scored with the Raiders, illustrating the value of hitting the market at the right time.

After the Raiders struggled for 20 years to assemble a quality defense, Patrick Graham’s unit did take a step forward in 2023. The Raiders ranked ninth in scoring defense — their first top-15 ranking since 2002 — but the team was light on D-line investments. That will change, as Wilkins joins Maxx Crosby to anchor the Raiders’ pass rush.

The Texans and Vikings were believed to be among the teams in on Wilkins, and the Dolphins made a futile attempt to keep him at the 11th hour. But Miami does not reside in a good cap situation. The team offered Wilkins a deal north of the $17MM-per-year point in 2023; Wilkins moved to a higher NFL tax bracket in free agency. Wilkins is coming off his best year as a pass rusher. After totaling 11.5 sacks over his first four seasons, the Clemson alum registered nine last season. He has also been one of the NFL’s top run-defending DTs in recent years, ranking in the top two in ESPN’s run stop win rate metric in 2021 and ’22. At 28, Wilkins brings upside on two fronts to Vegas.

The Raiders ranked 21st against the run last season. Bilal Nichols, Adam Butler and John Jenkins are free agents, leaving Las Vegas with more work to do here. But Wilkins will become the team’s centerpiece D-lineman. The Raiders will hope their latest Clemson investment pays off alongside Crosby for the long haul.

Raiders To Sign QB Gardner Minshew

Well, a Justin Fields-Raiders union seems unlikely to come to pass now. The Raiders are in agreement with Gardner Minshew on a two-year deal, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.

As things move fast in the early days of free agency, the Raiders were reported to be considering Fields. But they were previously mentioned as a non-suitor for the Bears passer. Minshew now looks to be the passer coming in to compete with Aidan O’Connell — and perhaps a rookie — for the job.

Minshew needed to settle for just a $3.5MM deal as a Colts bridge last year. His work replacing Anthony Richardson garnered the ex-Jaguars draftee a much bigger market. The Raiders are giving Minshew $15MM guaranteed on a deal worth $25MM, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. Based on this contract, O’Connell does not seem to have much of a shot to retain his starting job.

The Colts benefited from their Minshew stopgap addition, coming close to rebounding from a four-win 2022 season by making the playoffs. That journey fell just short, with the Texans edging the Colts in Week 18, but Minshew made another extended audition count. He found believers in the Raiders, who now have a QB1 option while they assess their long-term plan.

Minshew, 27, has already made 37 career starts — mostly with the Jaguars and Colts. Last season, the popular backup became needed as a starter once again after Richardson needed shoulder surgery. The Colts’ passing attack may well have been better off — for 2023, at least — with Richardson a raw prospect on the aerial front. Minshew threw for 3,305 yards, though at just 6.7 per attempt, and tossed 15 TD passes compared to nine INTs. QBR placed Minshew 13th, as he helped the Colts to a nine-win season, going 7-6 as a starter.

Joining Ryan Tannehill, Jacoby Brissett, Sam Darnold and Joe Flacco among the bridge options on this year’s market, Minshew scoring this Raiders deal represents one fewer starter opportunity for the rest of this lot. The Vikings are believed to be interested in Darnold, however, and it is not known if the Broncos will go with 2022 Raiders backup Jarrett Stidham post-Russell Wilson or snag another veteran.

The Broncos, Vikings and Raiders have been tied to move for a rookie. Antonio Pierce has been the most transparent regarding interest in a longer-term option. The Raiders have been connected to Jayden Daniels, who was at Arizona State during Pierce’s tenure on staff, but that move would require Las Vegas surrendering significant assets. For now, the team has Minshew as a placeholder — and a well-paid one at that.

Raiders Considering Justin Fields Trade?

With the Falcons acquiring Kirk Cousins, Justin Fields does not have a clear option to continue his starter career. Though, a team thought to be out may be considering an addition.

The Raiders were believed to be kicking the tires on a Fields-Luke Getsy reunion, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur notes. With the Falcons out of the mix, the Bears may need to bring down their asking price. Although Chicago wanted to deal Fields before free agency, his market has hit a snag.

An example of how fast free agency moves, the Raiders have now agreed to a deal with Gardner Minshew. The Silver and Black are signing Minshew to a two-year agreement. This stands to keep the Fields trail cold. With the Falcons and now likely the Raiders out of the mix, it is worth wondering how the Bears will proceed here.

The Bears did not find the kind of Fields market they hoped for. With the team zeroing in on Caleb Williams, Fields may soon see his 2023 development lead to a demotion. The Raiders, Falcons and Steelers have gone with other options, and the QB-needy Broncos are not expected to be interested in a player who would certainly be an upgrade on Jarrett Stidham. Considering Sean Payton‘s actions with Russell Wilson, it would be unlikely he signs off on Fields running his offense.

Fields also would not seem a fit for Kevin O’Connell‘s offense, and a Bears-Vikings trade would be unlikely. Though, the Drew Bledsoe and Donovan McNabb trades show intra-divisional QB swaps are not out of the question. It will be interesting to see where the Bears go from here, as it does not sound like they are in line to obtain much for their three-year starter at this point.

Raiders Unlikely To Keep RB Josh Jacobs Off Market; Team Has Made Offer

After three franchise tags diluted the 2023 running back market, it appears the free agent market will feature a flood of veteran starters this year. The Raiders are almost definitely going to need to outbid competition to keep Josh Jacobs.

The team had been trying to re-sign Jacobs, but with a new GM in place, some uncertainty entered the equation despite the former rushing champion stumping for Antonio Pierce earlier this offseason. The Raiders still want Jacobs back, but ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler indicates he is likely headed to the market.

Las Vegas has made an offer to Jacobs, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com, who adds the 2019 first-round pick could soon be tied to an eight-figure-per-year average salary. Coming off Jacobs’ 2022 rushing title, the Raiders made an offer to extend him just before the July deadline. Jacobs passed and was unable to replicate his strong form of 2022. While he showed more under Pierce in the season’s second half, the five-year Raiders starter only posted two 100-yard games in an 805-yard season that saw the Alabama alum rank in the bottom five in Next Gen Stats’ rushing yards over expected metric.

The legal tampering period begins in less than an hour, putting teams that want to keep certain UFAs in crunch time. Being this close to free agency for the first time, Jacobs will naturally want to see gauge his value when given the ability to speak with multiple teams for the first time. He and Saquon Barkley profile as the top backs available, and Fowler adds they may well be off the board early. Barkley’s market is expected to surpass Jacobs’, but this does give the 2022 rushing champ a shot to hit free agency before his age-26 season. Barkley did not have that chance last year, joining Jacobs and Tony Pollard in being tagged.

Barkley and Jacobs join Pollard, Austin Ekeler, Derrick Henry, D’Andre Swift, Devin Singletary and Gus Edwards as starters who will test free agency. Jacobs took a step back last year and finished the season on the shelf with multiple contusions. The Raiders also hired a new GM — Tom Telesco — who passed on renegotiating Ekeler’s deal last year with the Chargers, instead signing off on a small incentive package. With so many available backs, the Raiders may go shopping soon.