Tom Brady heading to Tampa Bay?
Early returns say Raiders are acing their free agency test in a big way
The Raiders came into this offseason flush with cash and ready to spend.
But, as this team’s history has told us time and time again, that wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
Those past teams did not have Mike Mayock at the helm, though.
The second-year Raiders general manager — and I suppose Jon Gruden, too — deserve kudos for their early offseason haul. Two of the signings were downright inspired.
I’m a big fan of Marcus Mariota wearing the Silver and Black. He’s Gruden’s type of quarterback — mobile but not wily. He can extend plays with his legs, but he won’t break down the offense at the same time. Mariota is a system quarterback, and Gruden’s quick-strike should be might be the right fit for him.
The Raiders also signed their two starting linebackers for the 2020 season over the last 48 hours.
The first signing, former Bears linebacker Nick Kwiatkowski, is a classic Paul Guenther “Mike”, in the mold of a Vontaz Burfict (only without the unquestionably dirty play). He’s a poor coverage linebacker, and while I am personally of the mind that linebackers should effectively be safeties in this day and age, that’s an opinion. There’s no question that Kwiatkowski — who is stout against the run and can “quarterback” a defense
— is a scheme fit for the Raiders, and the general manager’s job is to find the best players to fit his coaches’ schemes.
Kwiatkowski signed for three years, $21 million, with $13.5 million guaranteed per NFL Network. A nice chunk of change, but a bargain when you compare it to what Blake Martinez — a player who is almost identical to Kwiatkowski — landed with the Giants. New York will pay Martinez — who was targeted in the passing game so often this season that he must have taken it personally — double what the Raiders will pay Kwiatkowski.
And playing Kwiatkowski next to the dramatically underrated weakside linebacker Corey Littleton creates a nice linebacker core. That’s what the Raiders will do next year, as Tuesday it was reported that Littleton agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $36 million.
Littleton is an elite coverage linebacker and all around one of the best linebackers in the NFL. The Rams couldn’t keep him because of a salary cap crunch, and that was the Raiders’ gain. And it should be noted that Mayock, perhaps using the lack of state taxes in Nevada as a negotiation tool, was able to sign the linebacker for less than the expected market rate.
The Raiders, of course, cannot be done signing defensive
players, but they’re off to a good start so far this offseason.
The signing of Jason Witten might make headlines, but it’s ultimately a low-cost, no-risk move for depth. The Raiders already have a No. 1 tight end in Darren Waller, but the former “Monday Night Football” announcer could wind up being a solid No. 2 or No. 3 option in an offense that loves two and three tight end sets. If nothing else, the Raiders’ young tight ends will be benefitted by a future Hall of Famer’s presence.
The Mariota signing, though, is the one that I believe will most improve the Raiders in 2020.
I don’t know if Mariota will start a game for the Raiders. I know he
won’t start this season as the team’s starter. But the fact that he could easily start a game for Gruden’s team is the most important part of his acquisition.
All offseason, the Raiders and Derek Carr have played been playing “will they or won’t they.” Frankly, it’s been going on longer than that, but it’s really become gross over the last few weeks.
Alas, it appears as if the Raiders will be sticking with No. 4, but the message Mariota’s signing sends is clear: make it happen in 2020 or it will be your last year with the Raiders, Derek.
This is the kind of ultimatum that has been necessary for a few years now. I’m fascinated to see how Carr handles it.
He’s never felt the heat before. EJ Manuel, AJ McCarron, and Mike Glennon weren’t going to start over him, but Mariota is a favorite of Mayock — he had him as the No. 1 quarterback prospect in the 2015 draft — and Gruden has never met a quarterback he didn’t think he could save. This guy could actually take his job.
Carr is either going to shed his inhibiting conservatism and let it fly now that he’s not guaranteed a full season of starts or he’s going to crumble under the pressure. The spin has already begun from the Carr camp — his brother, David, was on NFL Network Monday saying that Mariota will “improve the quarterback room” and insinuating that the former Titan is a
fill-in not for his brother, but for him. (He claims to fill in at training camp practices.)
Isn’t projection fun? Yes, Mariota’s presence alone will tell the Raiders everything they need to know about their quarterback.
That alone is worth everything the Raiders are paying him.
And if Carr is, indeed, not up the challenge, Mariota is a fine backup option, too. In fact, I think he might be a viable longterm option for the Raiders.
The Raiders had nowhere to go but up, but Mayock’s competence in the draft and now for a second and less influenced turn in free agency is accelerating the timeline.