Latest On Raiders, Las Vegas
The city of Oakland (and Alameda County) doesn’t want to see their beloved Raiders relocate to Las Vegas. As a result, the Oakland City Council and Alameda County Board of Supervisors will vote next week on a term sheet regarding a potential $1.3-billion stadium, writes Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times. The vote is expected to come on Tuesday, and the rest of the NFL’s owners will hear an updated relocation plan on Wednesday.
“This term sheet agreement puts Oakland in the running to keep the Raiders in a way that is responsible to the team, the league, the fans and the taxpayers,” Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said.
Aldon Smith Meets With Roger Goodell
In what could be the first step towards his return, Raiders outside linebacker Aldon Smith met with commissioner Roger Goodell and other league officials today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, no decision will be made today. Since the business week ends today, it sounds like we will not have a verdict on Smith until Monday at the earliest. The timetable for the league’s ruling is not immediately clear. 
[RELATED: No Deadline For Aldon Smith Decision]
Smith has had multiple run-ins with the league’s substance abuse policy and his latest slip-up led to him spending roughly four months in a rehab clinic. Under the terms of his suspension, Smith was eligible to apply for reinstatement on October 3rd in advance of his ban ending on November 17th. We’re now several weeks past that possible return date and the league has done little to advance his case. Today could be a breakthrough for the defensive star.
After last night’s loss to the Chiefs, the Raiders have slid to second place in the AFC West. Getting Smith back could help Oakland regain the divisional crown and make a strong postseason push.
Latest On Oakland’s Raiders-Retention Effort
As the Raiders play their biggest game in more than 13 years, their future remains uncertain. Both Las Vegas and now Oakland have made efforts to secure a stadium for the venue-seeking franchise, but the latter’s last-ditch attempt may not be a reliable commitment.
Multiple owners, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link), believe Oakland does not have a strong desire to keep the Raiders and are “playing political games” in this effort that involves the Ronnie Lott group contributing a sizable amount of the stadium costs for this Bay Area site. This venture, which does not feature Mark Davis‘ blessing, calls for $600MM from the Lott-fronted Fortress Investment Group, $300MM from Davis, $200MM from the league and $200MM in public money. It’s obviously not as far along as Las Vegas’ effort, which already secured the $750MM in public money and approval from Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval.
While most NFL owners’ stances are not yet known on Vegas, it’s been widely reported the league prefers Oakland as the Raiders’ home, due largely to the disparity between the Bay Area and Vegas markets. However, the league has twice approached the city of Oakland about buying or leasing the Oakland Coliseum and acting as a developer for the Raiders — per Cole, on Twitter — but the city has not corresponded with the NFL on this specific inquiry. Cole notes the NFL being heavily involved in this process would make a Raiders stadium project in Oakland much easier (Twitter link), but the city and county have not responded to the league’s request to know what it would cost to get involved in the process, per Cole (via Twitter).
Roger Goodell‘s preference for Oakland hasn’t been much of a secret in league circles either, but the latest coming out of this saga now points to neither place being a good option in the minds of the owners. A relocation vote remains up in the air, but this Oakland venture still has unanswered questions as well, creating a similar uneasy feeling Vegas has for the parties who will likely end up voting on the matter, Cole tweets.
Meanwhile, Sheldon Adelson’s potential issues with this Vegas project in which he’s slated to be heavily involved may be dissipating, with the Raiders and Adelson expected to strike a deal soon, per Cole (on Twitter). In October, a snag between Adelson and the Raiders emerged despite the Vegas project being approved by the Southern Nevada Tourism and Infrastructure Committee, the state legislature and the governor. The franchise and the casino mogul coming together would put more pressure on Oakland to come up with a comparable solution.
Of course, with Davis not being on board with his current city’s latest effort only further complicates this matter for owners as a relocation vote nears.
Kelechi Osemele A Surprise Raiders Scratch
The Raiders will be without arguably their best offensive lineman tonight as they attempt to create distance from themselves and the Chiefs in the AFC West.
Kelechi Osemele will miss tonight’s Week 14 tilt due to an illness, making this the standout left guard’s first missed game as a Raider.
To ignite a spending spree this offseason, Oakland signed Osemele to a contract that dwarfs other guards’ deals, and the fifth-year pro has made good on that investment. Pro Football Focus ranks the mammoth blocker No. 1 overall among guards, being tied with former Ravens mate Marshal Yanda for that distinction through 12 games.
He’s been a part of a resurgent Raiders line that’s helped the team rank fifth in total offense and seventh in rushing. The latter figure is a noticeable jump from the team’s struggles in 2015, when they ranked 28th on the ground. In the passing game, Oakland ranks fourth and has allowed a league-low 13 sacks.
This will mark a fourth straight season Osemele’s missed at least one game. The former second-round pick missed two in each of the past two seasons and nine during Baltimore’s 2013 slate.
Rookie Vadal Alexander will be replacing Osemele in the starting lineup in Kansas City, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (on Twitter). Alexander’s started three games this season for a Raiders team that’s deployed more six-offensive lineman sets than any other offense this season.
Raiders To Focus On Carr’s Deal Before Mack’s
The Raiders are under the CBA-mandated minimum expenditure over the past four-year period. However, the Raiders have a few good ideas for how they can spend that cash, including new deals for quarterback Derek Carr and star linebacker Khalil Mack. The Raiders are currently expected to focus on signing Carr before Mack, a source familiar with the situation tells Mike Florio of PFT. 
[RELATED: No Deadline For Aldon Smith Decision]
One might think the Raiders are prioritizing Carr because he plays a more important position, but the real reason is that the Raiders hold a fifth-year option on Mack because he is a first-round pick. As a former second-round choice, Carr has only one year left on his rookie deal. Without a new contract, the Raiders would be forced to use the expensive franchise tag to keep Carr away from free agency after the 2017 season.
It will be interesting to see what kind of deal Carr will look for from Oakland. Kirk Cousins, who is considered to be an above-average quarterback and will be 29 next season, is said to be seeking nearly $24MM/year on his next deal. Carr, meanwhile, doesn’t turn 26 until March and has been outplaying Cousins by just about every metric this season.
Mack, meanwhile, is having a monster season of his own with ten sacks and 58 total tackles through 12 games. The Raiders, ideally, would like to lock up both players before they get anywhere near the open market.
Pollard Alliance Releases HC Candidates List
The Fritz Pollard Alliance Foundation typically releases its list of recommended minority head coaching candidates in January. This year, we have an early preview of the list, courtesy of Tom Pelissero of USA Today. This year’s suggested candidates will include Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, Bills offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn, Cardinals OC Harold Goodwin, and Vikings DC George Edwards. 
Austin was a popular candidate for coaching vacancies last year but ultimately did not find a head coaching gig. After interviewing with the Browns, Dolphins, Giants, and Eagles, Austin indicated that he felt only two of the interviews were “legitimate” while the other two were only done to satisfy the Rooney Rule, which stipulates that a minority candidate must be interviewed for every job. Since the Browns hired a black coach in Hue Jackson, Austin presumably isn’t accusing Cleveland of interviewing him to fulfill the requirement.
The Bills installed Lynn as their OC in September after ousting Greg Roman. The Bills have been up-and-down this year, but they now stand at 6-6 despite injuries to key players. Lynn has had to run the Bills’ offense without star wide receiver Sammy Watkins for much of the year and teams will certainly take notice of his capable job despite the less-than-ideal circumstances.
Goodwin has made no secret of his desire to land a head coaching job. However, there are some factors working against him. First, the Cardinals offense has struggled this season. Secondly, despite rave reviews from those around him, Goodwin does not call the plays in Arizona, and that could deter interested teams.
Edwards was placed on the Pollard list for the first time last year and he returns this season. Like Goodwin, he does not call plays for his team despite the coordinator title. However, he comes with a strong recommendation from head coach Mike Zimmer and he did call the plays against the Cowboys when Zimmer was recovering from surgery. With Edwards at the wheel, the Vikings allowed just 17 points against one of the league’s most electric offenses.
The foundation also released a list of general manager candidates including Giants VP of player evaluation Marc Ross, Raiders director of player personnel Joey Clinkscales, former Lions GM and current Giants exec Martin Mayhew, and Eagles director of college scouting Trey Brown.
No Deadline For Aldon Smith Decision
According to some reports, the NFL is overdue for a determination on Aldon Smith‘s status. It has been said that the NFL has to decide within 60 days on a player’s application for reinstatement after violating the substance abuse policy and it has been more than two months since Smith filed the necessary paperwork. However, there is no deadline for the league to reach a decision on the Raiders linebacker, an NFL spokesman tells Mike Florio of PFT. 
[RELATED: Aldon Smith Pushing For Return]
“No. All parties make every effort to be in a position for the league to make a decision within 60 days. Every step of the process must be completed,” the spokesman wrote in an email.
Smith applied for reinstatement 65 days ago, so the league apparently contends that they have made “every effort” to give the situation some closure, but they have yet to tie up all of the loose ends. Ultimately, the two sides may have different interpretations of the substance abuse policy’s Appendix B:
“All individuals involved in the process will take steps to enable the Commissioner to render a decision within 60 days of the receipt of the application [for reinstatement].”
The union may read that as a firm 60 day deadline for a decision while the league sees more flexibility in the language. The Raiders are eager to get Smith back on the field, but they may have to wait while a chess match is played out at 345 Park Avenue.
Raiders Audition Three
- Defensive back Dezmen Southward, defensive end Josh Boyd, and linebacker Ron Thompson all worked out for the Raiders today, per Caplan (Twitter link). Southward was a third-round pick by the Falcons in 2014.
Raiders’ Mario Edwards Jr. To Return From IR
The Raiders have designated defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. as their player to return from injured reserve, tweets Scott Bair of CSNCalifornia.com, who adds that Edwards is expected to practice tomorrow. Oakland now has three weeks to place Edwards on the active roster, or he will stay on IR for the remainder of the season. The Raider expect Edwards to return to action for their December 19 game against the Chargers, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Aldon Smith Pushing For Return]
Nearly a certain lock to make the playoffs following yesterday’s win over the Bills, the Raiders are still fighting to win the AFC West and face a massive contest against the Chiefs on Thursday night. But the one area of the Oakland roster that could use a boost is the club’s defense, and Edwards will certainly provide a spark if he’s able to get back on the field. By DVOA, the Raiders’ defense ranks just 26th, and the team’s defensive line places only 28th against both the run and pass.
When healthy, Edwards served as a bright spot for the Raiders last year, racking up 42 tackles, three forced fumbles and two sacks in 14 games. He worked at both end and tackle along the way and rated as one of Pro Football Focus’ best run-stoppers among edge defenders. Edwards figures to complement superstar Khalil Mack and first-year Raider Bruce Irvin in an attempt to improve Oakland’s front four during the stretch run.
Oakland’s decision to bring Edwards off injured reserve means that tight end Lee Smith and linebacker Ben Heeney — both of whom have could have potentially returned this year — will remain on IR from the rest of the season.
NFL Spending By Team Over Last Four Seasons
The NFLPA has released the official data on team spending over the last four seasons. The Collective Bargaining Agreement stipulates that each team must utilize 89% of the salary cap over two four-year periods, 2013-16 and 2017-20. As previously reported, the Raiders are the only team that has yet to satisfy that requirement for the closing period. The CBA also requires the league, as a whole, to spend 95% of the cap, in cash, for the same period. That requirement has been easily met.
Here is the full rundown of every team’s spending in declining order:
Philadelphia Eagles – $613,928,134
Denver Broncos – $587,712,791
Seattle Seahawks – $584,305,975
Green Bay Packers – $583,138,740
Miami Dolphins – $577,975,260
Kansas City Chiefs – $575,541,332
Buffalo Bills – $573,647,850
Chicago Bears – $568,301,610
Cincinnati Bengals – $567,289,411
Baltimore Ravens – $562,425,698
San Diego Chargers – $562,232,116
Indianapolis Colts – $556,335,689
Atlanta Falcons – $550,614,572
New York Giants – $543,787,033
Arizona Cardinals – $543,327,538
Los Angeles Rams – $541,957,711
New Orleans Saints – $539,836,498
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $539,736,102
Minnesota Vikings – $539,162,454
New York Jets – $533,151,519
Washington Redskins – $532,545,662
Pittsburgh Steelers – $530,698,171
Detroit Lions – $530,210,549
Tennessee Titans – $524,505,256
Dallas Cowboys – $523,033,036
Houston Texans – $517,212,166
Jacksonville Jaguars – $516,908,734
Cleveland Browns – $516,158,864
San Francisco 49ers – $514,488,198
New England Patriots – $500,083,836
Carolina Panthers – $495,149,346
Oakland Raiders – $491,433,408