Patriots will take Trent Brown in trade, freeing cap space

Be afraid. Be very afraid. With the Raiders cutting their losses Tuesday morning with right tackle Trent Brown, their salary cap surgery has them in position to reshape the roster again in 2021.

And there are few things more terrifying than the Raiders with room to spare when it comes to free agency.

The Raiders have a long, rich tradition of taking mighty swings and misses in free agency, but their Class of 2019 sets a new standard of ineptitude.

Brown, as reported by NFL Media, is on his way back to New England for a fifth-round pick. A club source confirmed a deal is expected to be consummated. No deals can be completed until the start of the new league year on March 17. Brown played in 16 of 32 games (and barely at all in two of those in which he lined up) at a cost of more than $36 million on what was originally a four-year, $66 million deal.

Slot corner Lamarcus Joyner was officially released Tuesday. He played in 28 games and got more than $21 million without so much as a single interception after signing a four-year contract worth a maximum of $42 million.

Wide receiver Tyrell Williams is gone, released on Feb. 24. He signed a four-year, $44 million and collected around $21 million of it.

Gruden compared Brown to LeBron James and touted Joyner as the next Ronde Barber.

Guard Richie Incognito’s release became official Tuesday, with Gabe Jackson’s exit having been reported but not yet filed with the NFL. The maneuvers give the Raiders just under $30 million in cap space according to the calculator provided by OverTheCap.com. All figures are approximate given the NFL hasn’t set the actual cap as yet, although the lowest it can be is $180.5 million.

Before the 2018 season, the Raiders dealt edge rusher Khalil Mack because of their reluctance to pay a $90 million guarantee he received from the Chicago Bears. That precipitated the binge and eventual purge of Brown, Joyner and Williams at more than $78 million.

The Raiders’ Tyrell Williams couldn’t stay healthy after signing as a free agent.

Free agency can be fool’s gold given the players available were allowed to walk by their previous employer. It’s something worse than that for the Raiders, and that’s not even taking into account the first years of linebacker Cory Littleton edge rusher Carl Nassib in 2020. They combined for nearly $40 million guarantees and were non-factors in Year 1.

Littleton will stick around and give it another go as an every-down linebacker. Whether the Raiders simply cut their losses with Nassib as an edge rusher despite no salary cap relief will depend on whether new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley thinks he can be of some help.

No matter how much owner Mark Davis is invested in the Gruden-Mike Mayock braintrust when it comes to roster building, rest assured he’s not happy about the cash he’s paid out for such a minimal return.

That doesn’t include backup quarterback Marcus Mariota, who would bring the Raiders’ cap space in 2021 to more than $40 million if he’s released or traded.

Yet when the free agency negotiating period begins on March 15 (with players eligible to sign two days later), the Raiders have ample room to be major players once again. And while Gruden is a ways off from being in any kind of danger, Mayock could be an easy scapegoat if things don’t improve in 2021.

It isn’t as if Brown, Joyner and Williams didn’t come with warning signs.

Brown excelled in a contract year for the Patriots, who got him from the 49ers. Privately, the 49ers thought Brown was too soft and not motivated enough. While Mayock said the “jury was still out” regarding Brown, the fact that they received only a fifth-round draft pick in return and lost a seventhround pick is an indication they wanted Gruden’s “best ability is availability” mantra carried the day.

Joyner was good but not great from the Rams. He did most of his best work as a free safety. Raiders fans, watching the 5-foot-8 Joyner struggle in the slot, begged to see him playing as a more traditional center fielder. It never happened.

Williams looked great splitting a seam downfield, but was two years removed from his best season in 2016 when the Raiders signed him.

Brown and Williams were seldom healthy, so there’s some bad luck at work here. Brown, at least, looked as good as advertised for much of the 2019 season as a 6-foot8, 380-pound right tackle who could move mountains.

How much does Davis have to spend in terms in terms of actual cash? Mayock said last week he was waiting to find out, but the Raiders are now faced with having to rebuild their offensive line with the pending exits of Brown, Jackson and Incognito.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if Incognito were to return, and there has been silence where Jackson is concerned — both from the player and the Raiders.

The good news for the Raiders is that despite the flailing about in free agency, not to mention a draft class in 2020 that contributed little, they’re coming off a .500 season and in theory in position to ascend to their second winning season in 19 years should they make the right moves this offseason.

What they’ve done in free agency under Gruden and Mayock inspires more of a sense of dread than a sense of confidence.