Raiders Facing New Workplace Misconduct Allegations
The list of allegations made against the Raiders regarding workplace misconduct has grown. A report from Briana Erickson and Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal details claims made by former employees across several departments against the team. 
The allegations portray how high-ranking front office members “enabled a culture in Oakland and Las Vegas that left [employees] feeling unsupported, underpaid and at risk of retaliation if they voiced concerns.” Such claims, per the report, have been present throughout numerous lawsuits filed against the team over a stretch of time spanning a decade.
That period includes the recent departures of several high-profile team members, such as former president Marc Badain and his replacement, Dan Ventrelle. The latter was abruptly fired last month, after, as he claimed, he alerted owner Mark Davis to “multiple written complaints from employees that [Davis] created a hostile work environment and engaged in other potential misconduct.” Retaliation for doing so, Ventrelle has argued, was the reason his 18-year tenure with the franchise was terminated.
Notably, these new accusations name Ventrelle – who also previously served as the team’s general counsel – as part of the reason for the existence of “a troubling pattern of harassment, forced demotions and unequal treatment” of female employees. One such former worker is Nicole Adams, an ex-HR staffer who accuses Ventrelle of being “involved in every situation that happened, every situation of harassment, every situation of a hostile working condition.” Another remark a by women formerly associated with the organization categorizes it as “a boys club and the mob wrapped in one.”
The report further details the circumstances surrounding multiple settlements reached between the team and former employees in recent years, which have created the general sense amongst the employees in question that widespread misconduct is no surprise. It also indicates that the organization gave “unexpected” raises and bonuses to remaining workers immediately after Ventrelle’s dismissal.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy stated that the league won’t comment on the details of these allegations; Davis himself, meanwhile, remarked that “Eventually, I will have something to say about all of this, but not right now.” In the wake of these details, it would come as little surprise if the Raiders became the source of league attention similar to the Commanders in recent years.
Trayvon Mullen Undergoes Foot Surgery
- The Raiders were active at defensive tackle this offseason. They re-signed Johnathan Hankins and brought in free agents Vernon Butler, Andrew Billings, Tyler Lancaster, Kyle Peko and Bilal Nichols. The team also used fourth- and fifth-round picks (Neil Farrell Jr. and Matthew Butler) on interior D-linemen. Of this group, Nichols projects as a starter, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed note (subscription required). Hankins, who has been a Raiders first-stringer for the past four seasons, should be ticketed to keep his starter gig under new DC Patrick Graham. Among the host of veterans brought in as free agents, Nichols’ contract (two years, $11MM) would point to him having the clearest starter path. The Raiders have been linked to Ndamukong Suh, but they might not be especially interested in signing him right now.
- Despite the Raiders changing defensive schemes and letting Casey Hayward defect to the Falcons in free agency, they are unlikely to tinker with Nate Hobbs‘ job. The second-year cornerback practiced exclusively in the slot during Las Vegas’ offseason program and will still expected to be the team’s slot defender, per Tafur and Reed. Coming into the league as a fifth-round pick, Hobbs graded as a top-10 corner as a rookie, per Pro Football Focus. Trade acquisition Rock Ya-Sin and free agent signing Anthony Averett worked as Vegas’ slot corners this summer, with starter Trayvon Mullen on the mend after a May foot surgery. Mullen missed 12 games last season, with foot trouble at the root of the absence. The recent surgery makes Mullen’s status something to monitor during camp.
Ndamukong Suh On Raiders, Vikings’ Radars?
Profiling as one of the top free agents still available, Ndamukong Suh said Monday he is not planning to retire. Going into his age-35 season, the All-Decade defensive tackle should still have options to continue his career — likely with a fifth team.
Suh conceded he is almost certainly done with the Buccaneers, who recently signed Akiem Hicks. But the 12-year veteran has also had conversations with the Raiders and Vikings, Tyler Dragon of USA Today tweets, while making a point to add Suh is interested in a Las Vegas stay. Suh also tweeted a Raiders alliance “could be fun.”
Although Suh said Monday he communicated with Maxx Crosby and new Raider Chandler Jones recently, the Raiders might not be as interested in a partnership as the decorated free agent is. The AFC West franchise is not believed to be especially interested in Suh at this point, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal notes.
The former Lions, Dolphins, Rams and Bucs defender would be a fit with a few teams. The Raiders do not have anyone with Suh’s profile, but they have added several interior defensive linemen this offseason. Vegas signed Vernon Butler, Andrew Billings and Kyle Peko and reached another agreement to retain Johnathan Hankins, who is now going into his fifth season with the team. The Raiders also used fourth- and fifth-round picks on D-tackles — Neil Farrell Jr. and Matthew Butler.
Minnesota did not bring back Sheldon Richardson this offseason but added ex-Buffalo interior D-lineman Harrison Phillips. The Vikings, who are shifting to a 3-4 defensive scheme for the first time in decades, cut Michael Pierce but still have Dalvin Tomlinson. Fourth-year defender Armon Watts is poised to replace Richardson as a starter, though a Suh addition could change that.
A five-time Pro Bowler, Suh registered six sacks in each of his past two seasons. He tallied four hits on Matthew Stafford and forced a fumble during a divisional-round game that nearly saw the Bucs derail the Rams’ Super Bowl push after a 24-point comeback. It would surprise if that ends up being Suh’s final game, as he would fill needs for several contending teams.
Latest On Raiders' Renfrow Extension
- Hunter Renfrow‘s two-year, $32MM Raiders extension comes with a $9.18MM signing bonus that will be spread out through five years (two void years, 2025 and ’26) for cap purposes, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. Renfrow is due a $4.32MM roster bonus on Day 3 of the 2023 league year, with Breer adding that day also will see the slot talent’s $6.5MM 2023 base salary become fully guaranteed. Renfrow is set to earn a nonguaranteed $11.2MM base in 2024.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/13/22
Today’s minor moves around the league:
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed: K Gabe Brkic (from Minnesota)
- Waived: K Dominik Eberle
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: CB Chris Jones
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: OLB Andre Mintze
New England Patriots
- Reverted to reserve/NFI (after going unclaimed on waivers): K Quinn Nordin
Tennessee Titans
- Released: S Jamal Carter (from IR)
Washington Commanders
- Waived: DB Will Adams, K Brian Johnson
Raiders’ Clelin Ferrell Getting Reps At DT
Clelin Ferrell, the No. 4 overall selection of the 2019 draft, was the first draft choice made by then-Raiders GM Mike Mayock. The pick was widely panned at the time, and it did not get better with age, as Ferrell has failed to make much of an impact in his first three years in the Silver-and-Black. 
Mayock was fired in January, and the club’s new regime, fronted by GM Dave Ziegler and HC Josh McDaniels, declined Ferrell’s fifth-year option in May (they also declined the options for the Raiders’ other two first-round picks in 2019, Josh Jacobs and Johnathan Abram). As such, 2022 will be a platform year for Ferrell, who will earn $4.77MM this season.
As Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal writes, Ferrell was seeing significant time at defensive tackle during last week’s minicamp. That would constitute a noteworthy position change for a player who established himself as a defensive end during his college career. Upon his arrival in the NFL, preference was quickly given at that spot to fourth-rounder Maxx Crosby, though, who has emerged as a franchise cornerstone and been signed to a sizeable extension.
The presence of Crosby and other edge rushers – including Yannick Ngakoue in 2021 – has led to serious drops in Ferrell’s playing time; his path to an increase in snaps would be further blocked by Chandler Jones this year. That makes a position switch a logical experiment at this point in the offseason. The Raiders have seen several changes along the interior of their defensive line, and brought in Tyler Lancaster, Vernon Butler, Bilal Nichols, Andrew Billings and Kyle Peko in free agency, while also using Day 3 picks on Neil Farrell Jr. and Matthew Butler in the draft.
At six-foot-four, 265 pounds, Ferrell could have the frame to operate on the inside this season. Given how his career has panned out so far, and the team’s resulting actions, his performance – regardless of where he lines up – will go a long way to determining his future.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Poll: Which AFC Team Had Best Offseason?
Due to a flurry of additions, the 2022 AFC presents a crowded competition for playoff and Super Bowl LVII access. Some of the top-tier teams addressed key weaknesses, and several middle-class squads took big swings in respective aims to improve their chances this season.
The fallout paints a picture in which barely any AFCers can be truly counted out for playoff contention. Future Hall of Famers, potential Canton inductees, and Pro Bowlers moving from the NFC — along with various intra-AFC changes — have made for one of the most captivating offseasons in modern NFL annals. While the offseason is not yet complete, most of the acquisition dominoes ahead of training camp have fallen. Which team did the best work?
With Russell Wilson joining the Broncos, the AFC West’s Wilson-Patrick Mahomes–Derek Carr–Justin Herbert quartet appears of the great quarterback armadas any division has fielded in the five-plus-decade divisional era. The Broncos gave up two first-round selections in a five-pick deal but were able to hang onto their young receivers. Denver, which moved to a younger coaching staff headed by first-time HC Nathaniel Hackett and two rookie coordinators, also added defenders Randy Gregory and D.J. Jones. Going from the Teddy Bridgewater–Drew Lock combo to Wilson represents one of the top gains any team made this offseason, but Denver’s divisional competition will not make improvement easy.
Entering the final year in which Herbert must be tied to his rookie contract, the Chargers addressed several needs. They added defensive help in free agency, via J.C. Jackson and Sebastian Joseph-Day, and traded second- and sixth-round picks for Khalil Mack. The team also extended Mike Williams at $20MM per year — days before the wide receiver market dramatically shifted — and drafted right guard Zion Johnson in Round 1.
The Raiders were partially responsible for the wideout market’s explosion, trading first- and second-round picks for Davante Adams and extending him at $28MM per year. That came shortly after the team’s Chandler Jones addition. Las Vegas’ Josh McDaniels–Dave Ziegler regime has greenlit extensions for Reggie McKenzie– and Jon Gruden-era holdovers — from Carr to Maxx Crosby to Hunter Renfrow. Will a Darren Waller deal follow?
Of last season’s conference kingpins, the Chiefs and Titans endured the biggest losses. Hill and Tyrann Mathieu‘s exits will test the six-time reigning AFC West champs, while last year’s No. 1 seed balked at a monster A.J. Brown extension by trading him to the Eagles for a package headlined by a 2022 first-rounder. Both teams did address some needs early in the draft, but the Bengals and Bills look to have definitively improved their rosters.
Cincinnati augmented its bottom-tier offensive line by signing La’el Collins, Alex Cappa and Ted Karras. The defending AFC champions retained almost their entire defense, though Jessie Bates is not especially happy on the franchise tag. Buffalo reloaded as well, adding Von Miller to a defensive line that has lacked a top-end pass rusher for a while. The team swapped out ex-UDFA Levi Wallace for first-round cornerback Kaiir Elam, and James Cook is the Bills’ highest running back draftee since C.J. Spiller 12 years ago. How significant will the Brian Daboll-for-Ken Dorsey OC swap be?
Although Cincy’s AFC North competition made improvements, some caveats come with them. The Ravens filled their center and right tackle spots, with first-rounder Tyler Linderbaum and veteran Morgan Moses, and are now flush with safeties following the arrivals of Marcus Williams and Kyle Hamilton. But Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson situation has reached a strange stage, with the top three Ravens power brokers indicating the former MVP has not shown extension interest. Cleveland landed Amari Cooper for Day 3 draft capital and, on paper, rivaled Denver’s QB upgrade. Historic draft compensation and a shocking $230MM guarantee was required for the Browns to pull it off. But their Deshaun Watson trade has generated considerable drama — to the point the ex-Texans Pro Bowler cannot be considered a lock to play in 2022.
Oddsmakers do not expect the Jaguars’ moves to translate to 2022 contention, but the team did hire a former Super Bowl-winning coach in Doug Pederson and spend wildly for lineup upgrades — from Christian Kirk to Brandon Scherff to Foye Oluokun — and used two first-round picks (Travon Walker, Devin Lloyd) to further upgrade its defense. Going from Urban Meyer to Pederson should offer stability to a franchise that has lacked it, never more so than in 2021.
The Jets chased big-name receivers for weeks but came away with Garrett Wilson in a highly praised three-first-rounder draft. New York’s last-ranked defense now has new pieces in first-rounders Sauce Gardner and Jermaine Johnson, along with DBs Jordan Whitehead and D.J. Reed. Miami made a stunning coaching change by firing Brian Flores, which produced a tidal wave of controversy, but the now-Mike McDaniel-led team also paid up for splashy additions in Hill and Terron Armstead while retaining steady edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah.
Are there other teams that warrant mention here? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts on the new-look AFC in the comments section.
Latest On Raiders, Darren Waller
Recent developments have magnified the bargain the Raiders have in Darren Waller, who is attached to a contract he has outplayed. Tied to the 17th-highest average salary among tight ends, Waller is set to make $6.25MM in 2022.
David Njoku, whose production Waller has lapped despite having less time as a starting tight end, now has a $14.2MM-per-year contract. The Raiders gave Hunter Renfrow a $16MM-per-year extension Friday. Waller, 29, has not indicated he plans to make his $7.6MM-AAV deal an issue this year, having reported to minicamp this week. Given the circumstances, it would not surprise if the two-time 1,100-yard pass catcher did attempt to inject urgency into this situation before Week 1.
[RELATED: Assessing Waller’s Extension Path]
The Raiders view Waller as a key player, and Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal calls a second Waller-Raiders extension imminent. Waller said conversations have occurred this offseason, but Bonsignore adds the team still might be attempting to push true extension talks to 2023. Two seasons remain on the extension Waller signed in 2019. The tight end market is different now, with several players whose work does not compare to Waller’s ahead of him on the salary hierarchy. No guarantees remain on Waller’s deal.
On one hand, waiting until 2023 could benefit Waller. He is coming off an injury-limited season and is set to play for Josh McDaniels, whose play calls helped turn Rob Gronkowski into a future first-ballot Hall of Famer. The Raiders’ Waller-Renfrow-Davante Adams setup should open the door for more looks for the two holdovers. Of course, the other side of this is Waller risks suffering another injury that could diminish his value. The late-bloomer’s age (30 in September) also stands to be an issue, with extension talks ahead of an age-31 season slightly different than prioritizing a deal now.
Will the longtime centerpiece of the Raiders’ passing attack be content going into camp with Adams tied to a deal worth nearly four times his own and now Renfrow attached to a contract worth more than double his? With the Raiders having rewarded their top two wideouts, how they proceed with their standout tight end will be one of this summer’s more interesting storylines.
Tyreek Hill Addresses Effort To Stay With Chiefs; Davante Adams Contract Changed Talks
Davante Adams‘ desire to reunite with Derek Carr not only changed the Packers’ wide receiver situation; it directly impacted another Super Bowl contender’s aerial corps. Tyreek Hill went from negotiating a Chiefs extension in early March to being dealt to the Dolphins for five picks three weeks later.
The $30MM-per-year contract Miami authorized came after Kansas City balked at a deal similar to Adams’. Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said on the receiver’s first episode of his It Needed To Be Said podcast the Hill-Chiefs talks changed after Adams inked his $28MM-AAV Raiders deal. Shortly after the Adams extension, Rosenhaus “put pressure on the Chiefs” to hammer out an Adams-style accord, with the agent calling his client a superior player to the two-time Packer All-Pro.
“If they didn’t want to do that type of deal, then we would get them a blockbuster trade,” Rosenhaus said, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “I flat out told them that I felt like I could talk to teams around the league and bring a bunch of — bring great compensation. And I think the Chiefs initially wanted to challenge us and see what we could get from other teams contractually and what we could also get compensation-wise.”
Hill said he told Andy Reid he was not asking the Chiefs to top Adams’ Raiders contract, indicating that a pact in the $25MM- or $26MM-per-year range would be sufficient. Even after the Chiefs gave Rosenhaus permission to talk trades, which led to Jets and Dolphins offers, the high-powered agent asked his client if he wanted to stay in Kansas City. Although Hill said he did, Rosenhaus indicated during the podcast the Chiefs were “millions of dollars” short of the new asking price.
The Chiefs sent Hill to the Dolphins for five picks — including Miami’s first- and second-rounders this year — and the historically dominant deep threat signed a four-year, $120MM extension. That contract is backloaded, and A.J. Brown‘s $56MM fully guaranteed figure soon surpassed Hill’s $52MM. But only Aaron Donald and a handful of quarterbacks top Hill’s $30MM AAV.
“I tried my best,” Hill said of his effort to stay in Kansas City. “I talked to the big man, Andy Reid. I talked to the quarterback. I’m like, ‘Look, can we make something happen? Can we make something happen? Can the guaranteed money make sense to me? Can it make sense to my family, please?”
The ugly off-field baggage Hill carried into the league and the 2019 child-abuse allegation — which did not lead to a suspension — that threatened his place with the Chiefs allowed for an $18MM-per-year extension on a team-friendly structure ahead of the ’19 season. Hill outplayed the contract by playing an essential role on back-to-back Super Bowl-qualifying teams and producing 1,200-yard receiving seasons in 2020 and ’21. The 28-year-old speed merchant will now attempt to stay in top form away from Reid and Patrick Mahomes, while the Chiefs will attempt to replace their star wideout with a group effort involving JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Skyy Moore.
Raiders Complete 2022 Draft Class
The Raiders announced the signing of fourth-rounder Neil Farrell Jr. on Friday. As a result, they now have each member of their 2022 draft class under contract.
Farrell spent five years at LSU. After playing sparingly as a freshman, he took a step forward the following season with four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. In 2019, he took on an even larger workload during the team’s undefeated run to the national title, finishing the campaign with 46 stops, three sacks and one forced fumble.
The 6-foot-4, 319-pounder stayed with the Tigers for two more years. Over the course of his 51-game career, he amassed a total of 143 tackles, including 22 for loss, to go along with 7.5 sacks. His final season in particular showed his ability to be a disruptive presence, which led to Las Vegas selecting him in the fourth round.
Despite being chosen 126th overall, Farrell was the Raiders’ third-highest selection, owing to the draft capital given up in the Davante Adams trade. He will join a plethora of new faces along the defensive line in Las Vegas; the team brought in Tyler Lancaster, Vernon Butler, Bilal Nichols, Andrew Billings and Kyle Peko during free agency, and doubled up on the position after the Farrell pick with Matthew Butler. While Farrell will face plenty of competition for playing time, he has the opportunity to see the field in at least a rotational role early on in his career.
Here is the complete breakdown of the Raiders’ class:
Round 3: No. 90 (from Titans) Dylan Parham, G (Memphis) (signed)
Round 4: No. 122 (from Vikings through Colts) Zamir White, RB (Georgia) (signed)
Round 4: No. 126 (from Raiders through Vikings): Neil Farrell, DT (LSU) (signed)
Round 5: No. 175 (from Rams): Matthew Butler, DT (Tennessee) (signed)
Round 7: No. 238 (from Dolphins through Rams) Thayer Munford, OT (Ohio State) (signed)
Round 7: No. 250 (from Vikings through 49ers and Broncos) Brittain Brown, RB (UCLA) (signed)