5 Free Agents Who Won't Be Signing with the Oakland Raiders
The free-agency frenzy hasn’t started yet, but Oakland Raiders fans should cross some high-profile players off their wish lists.
The Raiders have $49.53 million to spend, per Spotrac.com. However, in a press conference introducing Jack Del Rio as the new head coach, general manager Reggie McKenzie clearly stated he’s more interested in building through the draft.
The complete press conference and its transcript can be viewed on the Raiders' official website:
"For one, free agency is not the first way I want to build a team, that’s through the draft. That’s always been my philosophy. When you have to piece some things together, especially if you don’t get the number one type guys, you try to make it work. I think we had some guys that were productive for us and we had some guys that were not. As many guys as we signed, you’re going to hit and miss on a couple. We felt good about a lot of the guys that we signed and the production that they gave us. Moving forward, some of these guys will continue to do that.
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There you have it. Don’t expect too many huge splashes coming from Oakland during free agency. Here are some players who are highly unlikely to sign with the silver and black in the offseason.
Stefen Wisniewski
1 of 5
When addressing in-house impact free agents, the Raiders should prioritize Stefen Wisniewski. The front office might agree with that statement, but the price tag is a different story.
According to Michael Wagaman of ESPN.com, Wisniewski and Raiders’ brass couldn’t come to a contract agreement at the end of the 2014 season:
"Fourteen other centers in the league make an average of $3 million or more, and Wisniewski is likely seeking a deal in that same neighborhood or possibly higher.
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Whatever his asking price, the Raiders obviously don’t agree with it and so far seem willing to let Wisniewski hit the free agent market. They could use the franchise tag on him, though that seems unlikely and would probably end up costing the team more than if it had met Wisniewski’s price tag to begin with.
Management can be accused of low-balling the four-year center, but the disagreement is likely based on statistics. Wisniewski was a solid center in 2012 and 2013, but he struggled in 2014, per Pro Football Focus.
Wisniewski had a poor season in a contract year, which diminished his leverage despite his two good years.
He obviously feels 2014 was an aberration, but the Raiders want to play it safe before investing millions in him. The more time elapses without a compromise, the less likely Wisniewski returns to Oakland.
Demaryius Thomas
2 of 5
There were glimmers of hope for Demaryius Thomas leaving Denver due to the uncertainty of Peyton Manning's future. The Broncos could take matters into their own hands by using the franchise tag on the star wide receiver.
According to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com, Thomas could be locked in with Denver for at least another year:
"Whether or not Peyton Manning returns for an 18th NFL season, the Denver Broncos have no intention of losing Demaryius Thomas to free agency.
Appearing on Tuesday's edition of NFL Total Access, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported the Broncos are set to wield the franchise tag, if necessary, to keep their ultra-talented No. 1 receiver.
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The Broncos have major in-house decisions to make during free agency, as Thomas, Orlando Franklin, Julius Thomas, Rahim Moore, Terrance Knighton and Chris Harris are all set to hit the market.
Thomas seems to be the leading candidate for the franchise tag, which saves Oakland the chase.
It’s obvious Denver wants to maintain as many weapons for Manning if he returns and surround the incumbent QB with elite talent to succeed.
David Harris
3 of 5
The Raiders are in need of a solid veteran inside linebacker to “quarterback” the defense and help young linebackers Sio Moore and Khalil Mack develop into perennial players.
David Harris won’t be that guy.
The veteran inside linebacker will be one of the best ILBs to hit free agency, but he has made it clear that he wants to play for a contender, per Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole.
Understandably, Harris doesn’t want to spend the latter part of his career mentoring kids on a bad team when he can compete for Super Bowls.
Harris could have aided Oakland’s pass rush; he had 5.5 sacks in 2014. The eight-year pro is also durable; he hasn’t missed a game in six seasons.
Based on McKenzie’s build-through-the-draft philosophy, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him draft Eric Kendricks (UCLA), Denzel Perryman (Miami, Fla.) or Benardrick McKinney (Mississippi State) in the second round.
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Darrelle Revis
4 of 5
Fresh off a Super Bowl victory, it’s hard to see Darrelle Revis starting over near the bottom of the pile. Furthermore, he’s already coveted by his former team the New York Jets, as expressed by owner Woody Johnson, which led to tampering charges being filed, per ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
Second, it’s plausible to believe Rex Ryan won’t allow Revis Island to bypass Buffalo. Schefter has also reported Ryan’s interest in reuniting with the standout cornerback.
Again, McKenzie doesn’t seem too interested in overbidding for free agents. Ryan is a defensive guy who predicates his defenses on solid man coverage to unleash a powerful pass rush.
The Raiders have more of need than the Bills at cornerback, but Ryan’s strong desire to bring Revis to Buffalo trumps that need. There's almost no chance Revis makes it to Oakland.
Dez Bryant
5 of 5
Dez Bryant is arguably the hottest offensive player entering free agency. Raiders fans would love to have a fiery talented wide receiver lead an underwhelming receiving corps. Many would overpay to land such an exceptional talent.
The opportunity seems reasonable with Dallas’ dilemma of possibly choosing Bryant or the league’s leading rusher Demarco Murray.
Raider Nation should pump the breaks on its high hopes on bringing in Bryant. He stands at the top of the pecking order in Dallas.
Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com made a great point when assessing the Cowboys offense: "If we were placing a bet, Bryant would be the one that returns to the team because the quality of the Dallas offensive line and the relative fungibility of running backs make Murray’s production seem like the easier one to replace."
He’s 100 percent correct. Dallas had the second-best run-blocking offensive line in 2014, per PFF. Not to diminish Murray’s skills, but a number of running backs could have had an exceptional season behind that offensive line.
Who would replace Bryant? Terrance Williams? Cole Beasley? The talent-production drop-off would be much greater if the Cowboys let their two-time Pro Bowl receiver walk away.
Dallas will likely re-sign Bryant, even at the cost of losing Murray in free agency.
Advanced statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com and Sports-Reference.com.
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