Al Davis: Not Even a Bad Economy Can Stop Him

Even though the economy is terrible and people from all walks of life—wealthy, rich, mediocre, poor—are cutting back on their spending, Oakland Raiders owner and inept General Manager Al Davis just keeps on spending.

The best part is not that he is spending or simply rewarding his good players with favorable contracts. He is going above and beyond the call of duty.

I know NFL betting is not exactly the topic of conversation these days, but how can you neglect the state of the Raiders after their two most recent signings?

First, they sign punter Shane Lechler to a four-year, $12 million contract with nine of it guaranteed. Since when do punters deserve anything guaranteed? Alright, alright—he is the best in the game.

Even so, they gave him that money after defensive tackle Terdell Sands "allegedly" punched him in the face without repercussions.

That is not even the worst signing. There were sportsbook odds on where stellar cornerback Nnamdia Asomugha would land, but he decided to return to Oakland.

He had no choice after receiving "Octa-mom" money.

Asante Samuel signed a six-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles last offseason and was paid roughly $20 million in guarantees over six years. Kelvin Hayden, who is a pretty good cornerback, just re-signed with the Indianapolis Colts and received $23 million guaranteed over five years. Hayden's total contract contract is for $43 million over five years.

But Asomugha's deal is even better.

He will receive a whopping $28.5 million guaranteed in his three-year contract, which leads me to believe that Al Davis was wearing two pirate eye-patches while negotiating this deal.

Asomugha is a good player. Heck, he is a top-three cornerback right now if not the premier defensive back in the game. But this contract is ludicrous.

Is Javon Walker still with the Raiders? That would mean the Raiders have the highest-paid wide receiver and punter in the NFL. Tommy Kelly has a top-three contract for defensive tackles. JaMarcus Russell and Darren McFadden are also highly paid.

Off the top of my head, I would say 30 to 40 percent of the Raiders salary cap is tied up in a punter, an underachieving defensive tackle, a wide receiver who is a detriment to the team, and a great cornerback as well as a mediocre quarterback and running back.

That sounds good. I cannot wait to see what Davis does in an uncapped season.