Linemen Incognito, Good return, receiver from Bills joins team
The Raiders hope to have replaced Nelson Agholor as the surprise deep threat with the addition of veteran John Brown.
Brown, 31, agreed to a one-year deal worth a minimum of $3.75 million and a maximum of $5.5 million, depending on his production.
Brown’s signing was first reported by Adam Caplan of Sirius XM NFL Radio and confirmed by a team source. The Buffalo Bills released him last week.
Players were eligible to be signed Wednesday, at which time all teams were required to be compliant with the $182.5 million salary cap.
In advance of that deadline, the Raiders agreed to terms with five of their players scheduled for unrestricted free agency — linemen Denzelle Good and Richie Incognito, defensive starters Nicholas Morrow and Johnathan Hankins and wide receiver Zay Jones. All were confirmed by a team source, except Incognito, who tweeted out the news himself.
Also on board are defensive lineman Solomon Thomas, the former No. 3 pick of the 49ers, and Quinton Jefferson, a defensive tackle who played last season for the Buffalo Bills and for four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. Thomas was confirmed by a team source; Jefferson was the lone official announcement by the Raiders.
Entering his eighth season, Brown (5-foot-11, 178 pounds) has 320 receptions for 4,748 yards and 31 touchdowns for Arizona, Baltimore and Buffalo. Last season with the Bills, Brown had 33 receptions for 458 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games with nine starts. He went on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain in November, but returned and caught eight passes for 62 yards in Buffalo’s 17-3 divisional playoff win over Baltimore.
A third-round draft pick out of Pittsburg State by the Cardinals in 2014, Brown was one of the fastest receivers in the draft with a 4.34 time in the 40-yard dash at his pro day. Brown has had two seasons with more than 1,000 yards receiving, with 65 catches for 1,003 yards for Arizona in 2015 and posting career highs for catches (72) and yards (1,060) last season for the Bills. He had four catches for 42 yards in last season’s Week 4 win for the Bills in Las Vegas.
Brown assumes the veteran’s role in a wide receivers room that includes second-year players Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards, third-year slot receiver Hunter Renfrow, Marcel Ateman, Trey Quinn and Keelan Doss.
Agholor was one of the Raiders’ pleasant surprises last season in free agency with 48 receptions for 896 yards and eight touchdowns on a one-year contract after spending four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. He agreed to a two-year deal with the New England Patriots for two years and a maximum of $22 million after playing for the veteran minimum and small bonus with the Raiders last season.
Good, according to NFL Media, reportedly signed a two-year contract. Incognito was released as the Raiders got their financial house in order in advance of free agency but was always a candidate to return. He was lost for the season during Week 2 against New Orleans and is recovering
from Achilles’ surgery at age 38.
The return of Good and Incognito, along with left tackle Kolton Miller, gives the Raiders three players who have experience as starters. There is a vacancy at center and right tackle, with Trent Brown awaiting a pending trade to New England.
One offensive lineman who didn’t land with the Raiders is Kyle Long, who is returning to the NFL after sitting out the 2020 season. The former Bears Pro Bowl guard and son of Raiders great Howie Long visited Las Vegas this week, staying overnight Monday and working out for the team Tuesday. But Long left without a contract, then visited the AFC West rival Chiefs, who agreed to a one-year, $5 million deal with him, according to ESPN.
Morrow, according to NFL Media, will get a oneyear contract worth $5 million, with $4.5 million guaranteed.
Thomas missed most of last year after tearing his ACL, meniscus and patellar tendon in Week 2. He has only six sacks in 48 NFL games (30 starts), but has value beyond pressuring the quarterback. The former Stanford star can play outside or inside, shedding blocks and contributing to stopping the run.
Hankins, who turns 29 this month, started all 16 games in 2020 as a 6-foot-4, 320-pound defensive tackle who was primarily a run defender. He has 46 starts over the last three seasons and has played in 47 of 48
games. Hankins, like Morrow, received a one-year deal, according to The Athletic.
Jefferson, 27, is 6-4, 291 pounds and a veteran of 55 games and 28 starts with the Seahawks and Bills. He has 101/2 career sacks. His rookie season with Seattle in 2016 corresponded with Raiders defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s last season as Seahawks defensive coordinator before he left to become head coach in Jacksonville. According to Profootballfocus.com, Jefferson had 30 quarterback pressures last year for Buffalo.
With Jones returning and the signing of Brown, the Raiders seemingly have their full complement of wide receivers for quarterback Derek Carr. Jones, whose return was first reported by NFL Media, caught 14 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown. RAIDERS GET PICKS FOR HUDSON, JACKSON >> The Raiders ended up getting something in exchange for Hudson and guard Gabe Jackson after all.
Hudson, initially reported to be released, was traded to the Arizona Cardinals for a significant swap of draft picks. The Raiders will receive Arizona’s thirdround pick in next month’s draft, while the Cardinals get the Raiders’ seventhround pick.
Jackson, whose exit was reported as a pending release two weeks ago, was reportedly dealt to the Seattle Seahawks for a fifthround draft pick. A team source confirmed the trade.