HEADLINES

Las Vegas Raiders News & Rumors

Raiders, Derek Carr Agree To $121MM+ Deal

April 13th, 2022 at 5:12pm CST by Zachary Links

5:12pm: Carr’s contract contains a $65.5MM injury guarantee, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer, and the deal will give the ninth-year veteran a $5.2MM raise in 2022 (Twitter link). Carr will make $24.9MM fully guaranteed in 2022, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes.

A key date comes after Super Bowl LVII. Three days after the Super Bowl, Carr will see $40.5MM — his $33MM 2023 salary and $7.5MM of his 2024 pay — become fully guaranteed, Breer tweets. This would give the Raiders a small window to work out a trade in 2023, but Carr’s no-trade clause gives him final say on any potential escape-hatch deal for the team.

9:33am: The Raiders and Derek Carr have agreed to terms on a three-year extension worth $121.5MM (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). With that, the Raiders’ star quarterback will remain in place through the 2025 season. 

Carr’s deal includes a no-trade clause (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo), a rarity in the NFL enjoyed by only about a dozen players. All together, Carr is set to earn $141.3MM over the next four years, with $100MM of it coming in the next three seasons, per Garafolo. That’s player-friendly cashflow for Carr, who was fighting for his Raiders future just a couple of years ago.

It’s the latest splash in the Raiders’ busy offseason, following their acquisition of wide receiver Davante Adams. Ultimately, GM Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels have kept much of the core in tact while revamping the team after a tumultuous 2021.

Carr’s $40.5MM new-money average puts him fifth among all quarterbacks and, as noted by NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (Twitter link), he’s now the seventh member of the league’s $40MM/year club, joining Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford and Dak Prescott.

Carr, who just turned 31, had one year to go on his old deal with a cap hit of $19.8MM. After he notched a career-high 4,804 passing yards en route to his first ever playoff appearance, the Raiders were unwilling to risk losing him. Now, Carr’s got a fat new contract and an old friend in Adams, his former teammate at Fresno State.

“Derek’s fit on the team, as a player, is obviously what we’re looking for and what we’re trying to build around,” McDaniels said recently. “[When it comes to the contract,] you try and do what’s best for the team. When we get into those conversations with Derek, Derek’s going to have to make decisions about what’s best for him… There will be a sweet spot in there hopefully for everybody, and we’ll be excited to go forward like that.”

Today, the Raiders are undoubtedly excited as they’ve locked up their three-time Pro Bowler for years to come.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 4/11/22

April 11th, 2022 at 7:41pm CST by Ben Levine

Here’s a look at the latest tender decisions from around the NFL:

RFAs

Signed:

ERFAs

Signed:

Raiders Re-Sign Johnathan Hankins

April 4th, 2022 at 1:33pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders are keeping one of their own in the fold. On Monday, the Raiders announced that they’ve re-signed defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins.

Terms of the deal are not yet known. Last offseason, Hankins re-upped on a one-year deal worth $3.5MM, a drop-off from his previous two-year, $8.5MM accord.

The Ohio State product been with the Raiders for past four seasons. Originally a 2011 second-round pick of the Giants, Hankins spent his first four years in New York. He then signed a three-year, $30MM pact with the Colts in 2017, but was released just one season into that. He landed with the Raiders, where he’s been ever since.

He’s started at least 14 games in each of his four seasons with the Raiders, including all 16 in 2020. In 2021, he finished with 38 tackles and, despite not registering a sack, he did notch two QB hits. All in all, he’s started in 60 of his 61 Raiders games for 172 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and three fumble recoveries.

Hankins, heading into his tenth pro year, has registered 356 tackles, 14.5 sacks, 36 tackles for loss, nine passes defensed, three forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries over the course of his career.

This Date In Transactions History: Cardinals Trade For Carson Palmer

April 2nd, 2022 at 9:31am CST by Sam Robinson

In the years between Kurt Warner‘s retirement and Bruce Arians‘ 2013 Arizona arrival, the Cardinals experienced persistent issues at quarterback. A few months into Arians’ tenure, the franchise made a move to stabilize that position. 

Nine years ago today, the Cardinals acquired Carson Palmer from the Raiders. In the second Palmer trade in less than two years, the Raiders were not able to fetch what the Bengals did in 2011. On April 2, 2013, the Cards sent a 2013 sixth-round pick and a conditional seventh-rounder in 2014 for Palmer. Arizona immediately extended the then-33-year-old passer, signing him for two years and $16MM. That would not be the last Cardinals contract Palmer signed.

Palmer spent eight seasons with the Bengals, essentially redshirting as a rookie before starting from 2004-10. However, the former Heisman winner grew impatient with the Bengals’ conservative offseasons and staged a brief retirement that lasted well into the 2011 season. The Raiders ended the Palmer-Bengals stalemate by sending a 2012 first-round pick and a 2013 second-rounder to Cincinnati in October 2011. Those picks became Dre Kirkpatrick and Giovani Bernard. While Palmer mostly stayed healthy in Oakland, the Raiders went just 8-16 during the Pro Bowler’s starts in silver and black.

The USC product threw for 4,018 yards, with 22 touchdown passes compared to 14 interceptions in 2012, but went 4-11 as a starter that season. Oakland parted ways with Hue Jackson, their head coach in 2011, and hired Dennis Allen in 2012. The Raiders made an unusual pivot in 2013, using Terrelle Pryor as their primary starting QB — with Matt McGloin mixing in — but acquired Derek Carr in the 2014 second round. Interestingly, the conditional seventh-round pick the Raiders acquired in the Palmer deal turned into defensive lineman Shelby Harris, who played eight games in Oakland before catching on as a regular in Denver.

The Cardinals, who went 5-11 in 2012 and had used John Skelton as their primary post-Warner QB, improved immediately. Palmer started 16 games and guided Arizona to a 10-6 record in 2013. He went 6-0 as Arizona’s starter in 2014, but the second ACL tear of his career harpooned a talented Cardinals squad — one that also lost backup Drew Stanton and ended up starting Ryan Lindley in its wild-card playoff outing. In 2015, Palmer rebounded and finished second in the MVP voting. The then-35-year-old quarterback threw a Cards-record 35 touchdown passes and led the NFL with 8.7 yards per attempt, guiding the team to a 13-3 record and an overtime playoff victory over the Packers.

Injuries ended up limiting Palmer again in 2017, and he retired shortly after that season. This came after Palmer signed a three-year, $49.5MM contract — in 2014, days before his second ACL tear as a pro — and a one-year, $24.4MM extension in 2016. While the Cardinals traded up for Josh Rosen months after Palmer’s exit, they reversed course a year later and drafted Kyler Murray first overall.

Raiders Sign Nick Mullens

April 1st, 2022 at 9:48am CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders are signing Nick Mullens to a one-year deal (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). The quarterback will receive just over $1MM guaranteed with a chance to earn up to $2.5MM via incentives (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). 

[RELATED: Raiders Begin Extension Talks With Carr]

Mullens will support Derek Carr on the Raiders’ depth chart, alongside Garrett Gilbert. It’s not a given that the Raiders will carry three QBs on their final roster, so it may be a one-or-the-other scenario. For what it’s worth, Mullens has $1.5MM guaranteed versus sub-$100K locked in for Gilbert.

Mullens, 27, has appeared in 20 games over the course of his career with 17 starts. The bulk of those starts came with the Niners, where he spent his first three seasons. Last year, he made just one start for the Browns — a December loss to the Raiders.

Meanwhile, the Raiders have kicked off extension talks with Carr. The 31-year-old currently has one year to go on his contract with a cap hit of $19.8MM.

Raiders Beginning Extension Talks With Derek Carr

March 31st, 2022 at 8:57am CST by Adam La Rose

Amidst a slew of major moves in the AFC West this offseason – including two notable additions by the Raiders – one priority has remained the same. An extension for quarterback Derek Carr is something the team’s new front office has begun working towards, per Vic Tafur of the Athletic (subscription required). 

As Tafur reports, talks have begun between the Raiders and Carr’s camp regarding a new deal. The just-turned 31-year-old has one year remaining on his current contract, which carries a cap hit of $19.8MM. Earlier this month, it was reported that an extension was expected to be coming “sooner than later“.

Besides the level of Carr’s play in its own regard this season (including a career-high 4,804 passing yards and his first ever playoff appearance), the main reason that was the case was Las Vegas’ acquisition of Davante Adams. The two played together at Fresno State, and the teams’ willingness to trade for Adams signalled they were prepared to make a commitment to Carr as well. New head coach Josh McDaniels said, “Derek’s fit on the team, as a player, is obviously what we’re looking for and what we’re trying to build around”.

As for a new contract, McDaniels added, “Ultimately you try and do what’s best for the team… when we get into those conversations with Derek, Derek’s going to have to make decisions about what’s best for him… There will be a sweet spot in there hopefully for everybody, and we’ll be excited to go forward like that.”

While that comment was quickly met with a response from Tim Younger, Carr’s agent (on Twitter), Tafur notes that “talks have not grown adversarial” between the two camps. That will be a welcomed sign for the Raiders, as they try to secure the three-time Pro Bowler for the foreseeable future.

WR Damiere Byrd Visited Falcons, Raiders

March 29th, 2022 at 6:15pm CST by Ben Levine

Damiere Byrd is starting to generate some interest around the NFL. Per ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter), the Falcons hosted the free agent wideout on a visit. Yates notes that Byrd previously met with the Raiders.

The former undrafted free agent spent the first four seasons of his career with the Panthers, where he mostly played a special teams role. He saw a larger offensive role during his lone season with the Patriots in 2020, finishing with 619 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown on 49 touches.

Byrd joined the Bears last offseason, and he proceeded to collect 329 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown on 26 touches. He saw time in all 17 games with four starts.

The Falcons offense will look a whole lot different in 2022, with Matt Ryan gone and Calvin Ridley suspended. While the team can still hang their hat on Kyle Pitts, their receiving corps is questionable at best, so Byrd would provide some experience to the unit. The wideout is also familiar with Falcons exec (and former Bears GM) Ryan Pace. Similarly, Byrd is familiar with Josh McDaniels, who he played under in New England. However, Byrd wouldn’t have as clear of a path to playing time in Las Vegas. At best, Byrd would be fourth in line for targets behind Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow, and tight end Darren Waller.

AFC Coaching Notes: Titans, Jets, Bills, Steelers, Raiders, Patriots

March 27th, 2022 at 8:15pm CST by Ely Allen

After parting ways with the Panthers early this year, former NFL linebacker Chase Blackburn has joined the Titans as the team’s assistant special teams coach. After playing ten years in the NFL for the Giants and Panthers, Blackburn transitioned into the coaching world working his way up to the role of the Panthers’ special teams coordinator, a position he held for four seasons.

Panthers’ head coach Matt Rhule initially retained Blackburn from former head coach Ron Rivera‘s staff, but fired him this January. He finds second life with fellow former NFL linebacker and current Titans’ head coach Mike Vrabel. Additionally, after season-long tryouts, the Titans have promoted Clint McMillan (defensive line assistant) and Kylan Butler (offensive assistant) to full time positions.

Here are a few other coaching updates from around the AFC:

  • The Jets announced a series of assistant coach hirings including Ben Wilkerson and Dan Shamash. Wilkerson moves from one New York team to another, taking the same position as assistant offensive line coach on head coach Robert Saleh‘s staff. Shamash is a New York native that returns to the tri-state area after five seasons as the Chargers’ assistant tight ends coach to become the Jets’ situational football/game management coordinator. He’s worked with Saleh before in Jacksonville.
  • Elsewhere in New York, the Bills announced that they’ve added Mike Shula as a senior offensive assistant. The former college head coach and NFL offensive coordinator spent the past two seasons in Denver as the Broncos’ quarterbacks coach. They also announced the promotion of Eric Washington. The Bills’ defensive line coach of the past two seasons will have the title of senior defensive assistant added to his billing.
  • The Steelers announced the hiring of their new assistant line coach earlier this month. Isaac Williams joins the NFL coaching ranks after years in college football. Williams has been the offensive line coach at North Carolina Central University (2021), Morgan State (2018-20), and Northern Colorado (2016-17).
  • Las Vegas has hired former college coaching assistant Frederick Walker as a new offensive assistant assigned to work with quarterbacks, according to Myles Simmons of NBC Sports. Walker most recently worked as the quarterbacks coach for the UMass Minutemen. His time in the college ranks saw him working with Giants’ quarterback Daniel Jones at Duke University as well as Cowboys’ quarterback Dak Prescott during his time at Mississippi State. He’ll work underneath new head coach Josh McDaniels and offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi to assist Derek Carr and company on their road back to consecutive playoff seasons.
  • After being passed up by Matt Groh for the director of player personnel promotion, Eliot Wolf was announced as the Patriots’ new director of scouting on Friday, a promotion from his previous title of front office consultant. According to Wilson, the team also announced that Camren Williams would be named college scouting director.

Colts CB Brandon Facyson To Compete For Starting Role

March 27th, 2022 at 10:32am CST by Rory Parks

The one-year deal that cornerback Brandon Facyson signed with the Colts earlier this month is worth $3.84MM, per Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star. That is roughly the same money that Indy gave Xavier Rhodes in 2020 — a season in which Rhodes would start all 16 games — and it cements Facyson as a legitimate threat to win a starting job as a boundary CB.

Further underscoring the Colts’ faith in Facyson is the fact that, one day after acquiring him, GM Chris Ballard traded fellow corner Rock Ya-Sin to the Raiders in exchange for edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue. As Erickson writes, Facyson will indeed have a chance to replace Ya-Sin in Indianapolis’ starting lineup.

Ballard was not the only GM interested in Facyson’s services. According to Erickson, the Raiders — with whom Facyson made a name for himself last season after three nondescript years with the Chargers — were pursuing a re-up, and another club was also in the mix. However, Facyson elected to follow defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and DB coach Ron Milus from Las Vegas to Indianapolis. Facyson has worked under Bradley and Milus exclusively during his four professional seasons, first with the Chargers and then with the Raiders, and when the Colts hired both men this offseason, Facyson had largely made up his mind.

“I ultimately had like three teams really come after me, but in my head, I always kind of knew where I wanted to be,” Facyson said. “I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to play with Gus and Milo. … It definitely was a big impact on me coming to Indianapolis.”

In 12 games (nine starts) for Las Vegas in 2021, Facyson racked up 55 tackles and 13 passes defensed, along with his first career interception. Pro Football Focus was not high on his work, giving him a subpar 51.7 overall grade, but he did limit opponents to a 59.1% completion percentage and 7.2 yards per attempt, both of which are solid enough numbers. And, given the interest he attracted on the open market, it’s clear that evaluators of defensive talent — particularly Bradley and Milus — believe there is more potential to be unlocked.

Of course, Facyson is not assured of a starting job. The Colts do not have much depth behind him, Kenny Moore, and Isaiah Rodgers at this point, so there will be another addition or two, which could push the Virginia Tech product down the pecking order.

Load More Posts