There was no way Kenyan Drake was going to be playing this season with a cap hit of $8.25 million. That left the Raiders with a decision to make. Either they attempt to restructure his deal or cut him.
Cutting him outright would have saved them $2.75 million. But it also would leave behind $5.5 million and have them immediately in need of a replacement at the position.
For that reason, if they could swing it, a restructure would also make sense.
That’s what the Raiders did today. By converting his roster bonus to a signing bonus, and adding void years, his cap hit for this season is now $3.85 million, a drop in his cap hit of $4.4 million.
So, not only do they get *more* money off the 2022 cap than a straight cut, but they don’t end up paying for a running back not on the team while also paying for his replacement to team up with Josh Jacobs.
Not searching for a replacement allows them to focus on other more needed positions as free agency approaches. And they do so with more money in their pocket.
Yes, it’s kicking the can down the road a bit, but sometimes that’s what you have to do. His original deal was unwise, but instead of ripping the bandaid off, the Raiders are attempting to ease the pain and get some of their money’s worth on the former starting running back.
Along with Drake’s restructure, the team also restructured Kolton Miller’s deal, offering another $10 million for a total of some $14.5 million in 2022 cap relief.
