Raiders make deal with Drake, could give Jacobs some respite
Las Vegas signing indicates more of two-back system for ground game
The Las Vegas Raiders have gotten Josh Jacobs some much-needed help at running back.
Kenyan Drake, who gained 955 yards and scored 10 touchdowns last season for the Arizona Cardinals, agreed to a free agent deal with the Raiders on Thursday. The transaction was first reported by Drake’s agency on Twitter and confirmed by a team source.
And if salary figures via ESPN are correct, Drake isn’t arriving to play just a series or three while Jacobs gets pounded into submission. Drake received a two-year deal with $11 million guaranteed that could rise to as much as $14.5 million depending on his performance.
At 6-foot-1, 211 pounds, Drake is a no-nonsense runner who fits the mold Jon Gruden likes in his running backs, His 239 carries, 955 yards and 10 touchdowns
were all career highs. In five seasons, Drake has 695 carries for 3,130 yards for Miami and Arizona and averages 4.5 yards per carry. With 169 career receptions for 1,244 yards and six touchdowns, including two seasons with more than 50 receptions, Drake can also operate choice routes as a receiver out of the backfield.
With that pedigree, Drake figures to get considerably more work than Devontae Booker, who had 423 yards last season but faded down the stretch with the rest of the Raiders running game in 2020 as they skidded to 8-8 after a 6-3 start.
Jacobs gained 1,065 yards last season for the Raiders — his second straight year over 1,000 — but his yards per carry dipped from 4.8 to 3.9 and he had no run longer than 28 yards. Jacobs also caught 33 passes, and while the Raiders talked of increasing Jacobs’ workload dramatically in that area, the addition of Drake suggests they can get more out of their lead running back with some additional rest.
Jalen Richard, who had his least productive statistical season with 123 yards rushing and 19 receptions for 138 yards, remains on the roster in the secondyear of a two-year contract. He’s scheduled to receive more than $3.3 million in salary in 2021.
The money committed to Drake goes against the grain of how most NFL teams value running backs and will be scrutinized by NFL bean counters as excessive,
a luxury item similar to that of tight end Jason Witten a year ago.
If the Raiders come up short in other areas, it will be duly noted. Of course, if Jacobs were to get hurt at a position known for attrition, the transaction will suddenly make sense.
WHY KYLE LONG SIGNED WITH KC >> Kyle Long’s visit to Las Vegas came and went without a contract. He boarded a plane for Kansas City and agreed to terms with the Chiefs on a one-year deal worth a reported $5 million.
Whether Long received a first contract offer after a Monday workout was unclear, but the son of Raiders’ Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long hinted the arch-rival of his father’s franchise was more to his liking in terms of stability.
When asked what didn’t work out with the Raiders and why he signed with the Chiefs during a teleconference with the team’s writers, here was Long’s entire response:
“Good question. You’re bringing fastballs early. I love that. I will say that I
wanted to experience free agency. I had never done that before, obviously, being in one city (Chicago) my entire career. Vegas had me in. It was a good trip. I went straight from there to here. It feels awkward landing in a city that you don’t consider home but when you walk into this building here in Kansas City, it becomes apparent that things are different here. Sitting in coach (Andy) Reid’s office, I just knew this is where I wanted to be and if they wanted to have me I was going to do everything in my power to make this happen.”
DEREK CARRIER RETURNS >> Versatile tight end Derek Carrier will return for a fourth season on a oneyear deal and rejoin Darren Waller and Foster Moreau. The Raiders carried four tight ends a year ago, but Jason Witten retired.
Carrier played just seven snaps of offense a year ago but had 369 snaps on special teams, playing on 70 percent of the units coordinated by Rich Bisaccia. He caught one pass for 14 yards. In 2019, before Witten arrived, Carrier played
177 snaps on offense and had 13 receptions for 108 yards and a touchdown. ERIK HARRIS TO ATLANTA >> Safety Erik Harris, who joined the Raiders when Jack Del Rio was coach after a stint in the Canadian Football League and contributed some big defensive plays during his time with the Raiders, reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons.
Harris had interception returns for touchdowns against Indianapolis and the Chargers — both in Raiders wins — in 2019.
Better suited to a reserve role along with special teams, Harris was overextended on the Raiders’ leaky last line of defense in 2020.
WHAT’S UP WITH MARIOTA? >> Backup quarterback Marcus Mariota has a salary of more than $10 million which could spread about elsewhere in terms of cash and cap and the Raiders are unlikely to carry that into the season.
According to NFL Media, the Raiders are hopeful of getting Mariota to take a pay cut to $3 million — more in line with a backup position — in order to stay around. Otherwise, Mariota is a candidate to be released, or as they did with Gabe Jackson and Rodney Hudson, traded for a draft pick.
At the time Mariota signed his contract, the thinking was he could conceivably challenge Derek Carr for the starting position. That didn’t happen, but Mariota’s one game against the Chargers last year was intriguing enough the Raiders hope to keep him around at a lower wage or at least get something in return.