The Raiders quietly restructured Cory Littleton’s contract on Tuesday and according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the move freed up nearly $8.3 million in salary cap room.
It’s unclear how far under the salary cap the Raiders are right now and two reliable cap tracking sites don’t seem to agree on the matter. According to Spotrac, the Raiders now have $9,520,142 in cap room while OverTheCap has the number at $6,469,387.
Were the Raiders just wanting to breath easier under the salary cap or do they have something (or someone) coming in the days ahead?
The top free agent on the market right now is All Pro safety Earl Thomas and the Raiders did just release their presumed starting safety in Damarious Randall. Thomas, despite some personal issues, is the only true game changer on the free agent market and is the highest rated safety in the NFL by Pro Football Focus since 2015. On the other hand, the Raider coaches seem to like Erik Harris, who was named a team captain this week.
We also know the Raiders have been sniffing around pass rushers for the past few months and names like Cameron Wake, Terrell Suggs, and Clay Matthews III are still unsigned. So maybe don’t rule out a veteran pass rusher at some point.
Whatever the case, nearly $10 million in cap space (if that’s the number the Raiders are at right now) is more than enough to keep the cap strategists in the building comfortable, right? If the Raiders really did clear that much cap room it would make sense that some more news is coming.
twitter: @raidersbeat
Did you hear about James White’s father passing away? I guess his dad died in a car crash the other day. I can definitely understand why the Patriots are having him sit out some games. I hope James finds peace.