Raiders Add WR J.J. Nelson
A third new wide receiver will join the Raiders’ corps. Following the additions of Antonio Brown and Tyrell Williams, J.J. Nelson is joining the fold.
The four-year Cardinals auxiliary weapon figures to compete for a similar role in Oakland. Based on how Nelson played during the Bruce Arians era, the Raiders may have brought in another key contributor. The 5-foot-10, 160-pound receiver is one of the league’s top deep threats, despite having been used in a niche capacity.
Nelson totaled more than 1,000 yards between the 2016 and ’17 seasons, the latter coming when the Cardinals had to turn to mostly backup quarterbacks. Nelson’s 17.8 yards per catch leads all NFL receivers since 2015.
In 2016, Nelson hauled in six touchdown receptions, and he followed that up by posting 508 yards on just 29 receptions while working mostly with Drew Stanton and Blaine Gabbert in 2017. But last season, Nelson was a non-factor. Working in the NFL’s worst offense, the former fifth-round pick caught just seven passes for 64 yards.
Oakland has released Jordy Nelson, and beyond Brown and Williams, this seems to be a wide-open competition.
Raiders To Play In Oakland In 2019
At long last, it’s a done deal. The Raiders finalized a lease agreement to play at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum in 2019, a source tells Michael Gehlken of the Review-Journal (on Twitter). Meanwhile, the Coliseum Authority board voted to approve the agreement (Twitter link via David DeBolt of the East Bay Times).
[RELATED: Raiders GM On Antonio Brown Trade]
There were a number of scenarios discussed for the Raiders in recent months, including one in which the Raiders would play in San Francisco’s Oracle Park, the home of MLB’s Giants. That accord ran into issues, however, as the 49ers refused to waive their territorial rights to the San Francisco area. Ultimately, they circled back to Oakland where they’ll play until their new Las Vegas stadium is open for business.
The Raiders are expected to pay a $7.5MM fee to play in the Coliseum in 2019, a price tag that has been agreed upon for some time. Additionally, the deal will come with an option that would let the Raiders spend the 2020 campaign in Oakland if the LV site is not ready by then.
Raiders, Bills GMs Discuss Antonio Brown Trade Talks
Earlier this week, the Steelers agreed to trade Antonio Brown to the Raiders in exchange for a third- and fifth-round pick in this year’s draft. However, that deal wouldn’t have even materialized if a reported Pittsburgh/Buffalo deal hadn’t fallen apart.
Appearing on the Dan Patrick Show, Raiders general manager Mike Mayock said he initially told the Steelers that he was “not interested” in making a deal for the wide receiver. When Pittsburgh was willing to drop their asking price (and when trade talks with the Bills broke down), the two sides ended up agreeing on a trade.
“I kept saying we’re not interested,” Mayock said (via Andrew Perloff of the Dan Patrick Show on Twitter). “Then the Buffalo thing fell through. One of their guys reached out to Jon [Gruden]. … [Steelers GM] Kevin [Colbert] said to me, would you trade your two? I said no, but we might trade our three.”
The GM said similar things to Mike Florio earlier this week. Despite there potentially being two additional suitors for Brown, Mayock and the Raiders were still able to pull off the deal.
On the flip side, the Bills weren’t able to pull off a trade for Brown. Reports from last week indicated that Buffalo was on the cusp of acquiring the star wide receiver, but the deal ultimately broke down. While there have been several reports that the deal was nixed because of Brown’s unwillingness to play in Buffalo, Bills general manager Brandon Beane continues to claim that it was his decision to not make the trade. The executive told reporters (including ESPN’s Mike Rodak) that talks with Pittsburgh were “positive all around,” but the organization ultimately “just decided to withdraw.”
Brown’s decision to not join Buffalo has led some to claim that the Bills are not a free agent destination. Beane was quick to dismiss that “narrative,” saying the opinion “started with a bad rumor on the Antonio Brown thing when people were looking for reasons and didn’t have all the facts.”
“Don’t speak about Buffalo if you don’t know what this city and fan base is like,” Beane said. “It really pissed me off. It’s not true. How many [free agent signings] flowed through here today? … I can’t tell you how many players commented ‘This is amazing. This is awesome. What a facility. What a culture.’ This city, we love it. Anybody that says that doesn’t know Buffalo and really is speaking out of ignorance.”
The Bills have been relatively active in recent days. The added a pair of wideouts in Cole Beasley and John Brown, and they’ve also added Mitch Morse, Frank Gore, Kevin Johnson, and Tyler Kroft.
49ers Offered Le’Veon Bell ~$38MM
It sounds like the 49ers really did make a big push for Le’Veon Bell. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports (via Twitter) that the organization offered the running back a three-year, $38MM contract that was “just about fully guaranteed.” Bell ended up inking a four-year, $52.5MM deal ($25MM guaranteed) with the Jets.
We heard conflicting reports earlier this week regarding the 49ers’ interest in Bell. The team would have been a relatively peculiar fit, as the team already invested a four-year, $30MM contract in Jerick McKinnon last offseason. Matt Breida also emerged as a potential two-down back for San Francisco, meaning Bell wouldn’t have been as much of a necessity as a commodity. Ultimately, the 49ers ended up adding former Falcon running back Tevin Coleman to their backfield.
Meanwhile, while Bell had an idea he was going to join the Jets around the NFL Combine, it sounds like a team besides New York and San Francisco continued to push for his services. Fowler notes that Raiders quarterback Derek Carr and wideout (and former Steelers teammate) Antonio Brown were trying to get the running back to join Oakland.
Fowler also tweets that Bell intended to return to the Steelers in Week 7 last season. However, the running back subsequently learned that he didn’t need to accrue a full season in order to reach free agency, a revelation that changed his plans. Had the running back returned, he would have played around 10 games for Pittsburgh.
Raiders Release Jordy Nelson
The Raiders are doing some early spring cleaning today. The club has released veteran wideout Jordy Nelson, per Vic Tafur of The Athletic (via Twitter).
The release itself isn’t that surprising after the club traded for Antonio Brown and signed top free agent wideout Tyrell Williams, but the circumstances surrounding it are a bit odd. At the end of December, head coach Jon Gruden announced that Nelson would be back in 2019 to finish out the two-year pact he signed last offseason, and they even moved up a $3.6MM roster bonus to be paid at the time of the announcement. Essentially, then, the Raiders gave Nelson $3.6MM for no real reason.
Of course, they did not know at the time that they would be adding two top wideouts to their club, and they still create some cap savings with the move. And, as Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal tweets, the door is not closed on a Nelson return.
Nelson, though, may find a better opportunity on the free agent market. Even though he will turn 34 in May, he showed he still has a little something left in the tank in 2018, bumping his yards-per-catch average from a career-low 9.1 (in the largely Aaron Rodgers-less ’17 Packers slate) to 12.2 with Derek Carr.
He ended the 2018 season with 63 catches for 739 yards and three scores, and he played particularly well down the stretch.
Raiders Release A.J. McCarron
The Raiders have released backup quarterback A.J. McCarron per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The moves comes one day before McCarron was due a $3MM roster bonus, and three days before $1.1MM of his $1.8MM 2019 salary became fully guaranteed.
Just two weeks ago, the team indicated that it may keep McCarron around to serve as Derek Carr‘s backup in 2019. At the time, new GM Mike Mayock said, “I think Jon [Gruden] and I both believe that the backup quarterback is one snap away from playing. It’s important to have someone like McCarron ready to go.”
The roster bonus and salary guarantee proved too much to stomach, though the club could theoretically bring McCarron back on a new deal.
This continues a disappointing year for McCarron, who signed with the Bills last offseason with the expectation that he would become Buffalo’s starter. However, things changed in April when Buffalo drafted Josh Allen to be their QB of the future. Just before the start of the season, the Bills shipped McCarron to Oakland for a fifth-round pick.
Multiple Teams Showing Interest In Markus Golden
The Raiders are among several teams who have shown interest in former Cardinals edge rusher Markus Golden, according to Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area (on Twitter). Golden has already fielded multiple offers and he’s currently weighing his options. The Buccaneers are also interested in Golden’s services (Twitter link via Jenna Laine of ESPN.com), and Vic Tafur tweets that the Chiefs are in on him as well, as they seek to strengthen a suddenly depleted pass rush.
The Raiders have been extremely active in March, but they could still use some additional firepower in the pass rush department. Golden would help on that front, though the Raiders are still expected to address that area in the draft next month. The Bucs are in better shape as far as pass rushers are concerned, but they still ranked in the bottom half of the league in total sacks last year and were one of the worst teams against the pass.
In 2016, Golden notched 12.5 sacks for the Cardinals. Unfortunately, a torn ACL ended his 2017 campaign early and cost him time in 2018. He managed to return for eleven games last year, but he wasn’t the same player – Golden had just 2.5 sacks and 30 tackles and graded out as one of the lowest-ranked edge defenders in the league, per Pro Football Focus.
The Giants and defensive coordinator James Bettcher also reportedly have Golden on the radar, which Tafur confirmed.
Extra Points: WRs, Steelers, Edwards, Cook
Some assorted notes from around the NFL:
- The Saints, Seahawks, and Patriots are continuing to monitor the wide receiver market, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter). Golden Tate is the best receiver still unsigned, but there are a number of other notable names available. New Orleans is reportedly interested in bringing back Dez Bryant, and veterans like Michael Crabtree and Randall Cobb still have some value.
- The Steelers are working to re-sign linebacker L.J. Fort, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. Fort was primarily deployed on passing downs in 2018 and was an underrated part of Pittsburgh’s defense last season, racking up 48 tackles and a sack. Fowler notes that Fort has generated interest from other clubs.
- Defensive lineman Mario Edwards is set to visit with the Saints tonight, tweets Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. The 25-year-old was claimed off waivers by the Giants in September after having spent the first three seasons of his career with the Raiders. The former second-rounder proceeded to play in 15 games for the Giants, compiling 14 tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumble.
- The Raiders continue to monitor free agent tight end Jared Cook, writes Scott Bair of NBCSports Bay Area. The writer cautions that it’s “hard to imagine” the veteran returning, as he’s visited with the Saints and received interest from the Patriots. The 31-year-old started 14 of his 16 games last season, hauling in 68 receptions for 896 yards and six scores.
- Trent Brown isn’t all that concerned about his role with the Raiders, tweets Bair. After playing left tackle for the Patriots in 2018, Brown said he’d be receptive to a switch to right tackle. As of right now, Kolton Miller is expected to start on the opposite side of the offensive line.
Saints To Host Jared Cook
The Saints plan to meet with free agent tight end Jared Cook on Thursday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Meanwhile, both the Patriots and the incumbent Raiders are monitoring Cook’s market, tweets Vic Tafur of The Athletic.
Cook, 31, just wrapped up the best season of his NFL career, leading the Raiders in receptions (68), receiving yardage (896), and receiving touchdowns (6). Cook ranked as a top-five tight end league-wide in all three of those categories, while Pro Football Focus grades him ninth at his position. Additionally, Cook finished fifth among NFL tight ends in Football Outsiders’ DYAR — which measures value over a replacement level player — and 11th in DVOA, which quantifies value on a per-play basis.
The Saints are losing Ben Watson to retirement, but still have Josh Hill, Garrett Griffin, and Dan Arnold at tight end. Cook, clearly, would represent an upgrade over any of those options, and would project to see the majority of snaps and targets at the position if he lands in New Orleans.
A number of free agent tight ends — Jesse James, Tyler Kroft, and Nick Boyle among them — have received multi-year deals worth $6-7MM, and Cook should be able to top those figures. Heading into free agency, he was widely viewed as the top tight end available on the open market.
Raiders Notes: Brown, Bell, Williams, Joyner
The 49ers weren’t the only team to miss out on Le’Veon Bell. Vic Tafur of The Athletic writes that the Raiders made an offer to the star running back, and “there was some real buzz in the building” yesterday.
The reporter also notes that the Raiders thought they could land Bell if “money wasn’t the most important thing,” as the running back reportedly preferred to play for the Raiders. After missing out on Bell, the team also took a run at Mark Ingram, who ended up landing in Baltimore.
Bell ultimately agreed to a four-year, $52.5MM deal with the Jets, forcing the Raiders to look elsewhere for a running back. At the moment, the team is rostering three backs in DeAndre Washington, Chris Warren, and James Butler.
Let’s check out some more notes out of Oakland…
- The Raiders weren’t even considering an Antonio Brown trade until the deal between the Steelers and Bills fell apart, general manager Mike Mayock told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com (Twitter link). The organization ultimately acquired the Pro Bowl wide receiver in exchange for a third- and fifth-round pick in this year’s draft.
- The Raiders continued to show interest in wideout Tyrell Williams even after pulling off the Brown trade, according to Jason La Canfora (on Twitter). The team ended up agreeing to a four-year, $44MM deal ($22MM guaranteed) earlier today. La Canfora notes that several other teams pursued Williams, including the Ravens, Saints, Steelers, Jets. Many of those teams were offering contracts between $8MM and $9MM annually, with the 27-year-old ultimately receiving $11MM a season from the Raiders.
- The Raiders are planning to rely on Lamarcus Joyner as their primary nickel cornerback, writes Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The 28-year-old has primarily played safety throughout his career, although he did play some cornerback early on his career. The team will occasionally deploy Joyner at safety, although Gehlken notes that the team could still add another player at the position. Joyner is set to sign a four years, $42MM deal with the Raiders.