All the expectations/hopes the Raiders would add a big ticket free agent ahead of training camp never came to pass. They had plenty of money with which to do it. And they still have plenty of money. But whether they spend it, or if there’s even any player worth spending it on is the question.
Currently they have some $28.8 million in cap room burning a hole in their pocket according to overthecap.com
They could save it for a rainy day. For instance if they have an injury and there happens to be a moderately pricy free agent out there they could add.
Or take on a player with a large contract in a trade.
Or they could give an extension to one of their own players.
That last one seems the most likely. And perhaps the smartest as well.
There are two players who would be worth holding that money to give an extension — Nate Hobbs and Malcolm Koonce. As both players are in the final season of their rookie contracts and are worthy of getting a big money deal to stick around.
There are several other players who could be deserving of an extension and who wouldn’t be nearly as pricey as Hobbs and Koonce.
Either way, it’s a bit strange to have the amount of money the Raiders have. Only four teams have more cap money available. Meanwhile, ten teams have less than five million and 18 teams have less than ten million.
