No deals, but still a player departs
The Raiders were quiet at the NFL trade deadline Tuesday but still absorbed the departure of a player.
There had been reports of Oakland shopping, among others, defensive end Bruce Irvin, safety Karl Joseph and cornerback Gareon Conley. All were on the field as the Raiders opened practice around 1:15 p.m. Tuesday, 15 minutes after the trade deadline.
The Raiders made one highprofile deal Oct. 22, sending receiver Amari Cooper to Dallas for a 2019 first-round draft pick. They also traded edge rusher Khalil Mack to the Bears before the season, and as a result, have five first-round picks over the next two drafts.
Among the players who were traded Tuesday were receivers Golden Tate, who went from Detroit to Philadelphia for a
third-round pick, and Demaryius Thomas, who was dealt by Denver to Houston for a fourthround pick. Though Tate, 30, and Thomas, 31, are older than Cooper, 24, the compensation in those deals underscored what the Raiders got for Cooper.
Earlier Tuesday, quarterback Derek Carr said the Mack and Cooper trades and overall fluctuation on the Raiders’ roster had made players “more conscious” about the possibility of trades.
“You want to make sure that you’re around, what’s the plan, all those things,” Carr said. “I think that was on a lot of guys’ minds. Just to know that’s almost over with and all those things and we’re just playing ball, I think it’s nice for our guys.”
The Raiders did, though, bid farewell to cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who announced his retirement.
Rodgers-Cromartie, 32, made the announcement on Instagram. Carr said head coach Jon Gruden also addressed Rodgers-Cromartie’s decision with the team at practice.
“When something like that happens, I’d rather have it happen that way than halftime of a game,” said Carr, making a reference to the Bills’ Vontae Davis, who retired at halftime of a Sept. 16 game.
“I understand what he’s doing, I understand why, all those things. Coach addressed it with us and said, ‘Text him, show him love, congratulate him on a great career.’ There are no hard feelings at all.”
Rodgers-Cromartie, 32, signed with the Raiders in late August after playing the past four seasons with the Giants. A first-round draft pick by the Cardinals in 2008, RodgersCromartie made two Pro Bowls in 11 seasons, was second-team All Pro in 2016 and had 30 career interceptions.
In his Instagram post, he wrote: “Today i retire, today my nfl journey ends, and i thank god for keep me all these years. A kid with one kid and no college offers lasted 11 years in the NFL. I played in Super Bowls, pro bowls, n did many more in this (league). I’m at peace with my decision. Y’all may not understand and that’s kool!!!”
In seven games with Oakland, Rodgers-Cromartie had eight tackles, two passes defensed and no interceptions.
“He always put his best foot forward anytime he was on the football field,” cornerback Rashaan Melvin told reporters. “He made plays. It was a pleasure and an honor to play with him. … It was a shocker to see him go.”
Receiver Jordy Nelson described Rodgers-Cromartie as “one of the happiest guys I’ve been around in 11 years” and said he was impressed by Rodgers-Cromartie’s willingness to play on special teams.
“Not very often do you see an 11-year guy who made a lot of plays at corner accept that role,” Nelson said. “And he did it. Obviously, that was his choice (to retire). We appreciate what he did for us this first half of the year and I think he affected a lot of guys.”
Rodgers-Cromartie made his lone start in Week 6 against the Seahawks, playing a seasonhigh 56 defensive snaps. He did not play a single defensive snap Sunday against the Colts as the Raiders went with Daryl Worley and Gareon Conley at the outside corner spots.
Without Rodgers-Cromartie, the Raiders’ cornerbacks are Worley, Conley, Melvin (who was inactive Sunday after expressing frustration about his playing time against the Seattle), Leon Hall and rookie Nick Nelson, who made his NFL debut against the Colts. Nelson and Hall shared snaps at slot corner Sunday.