Jon Gruden said this week that the Raiders are “not done” looking for wide receivers in free agency.
For now, the wide receiver market is dried up, but a pair of notable veteran names could soon become available through free agency or trade.
Dez Bryant has a $16.5 million cap hit in Dallas next year and isn’t expected to return to the Cowboys at that cost.
One national insider says Bryant will definitely be released after the draft.
The #Cowboys will cut Dez Bryant, after the draft, but make no mistake — they will cut him https://t.co/ydv3DG8Cw5
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 28, 2018
Would the Raiders be interested in Bryant, who is still just 29 years old, if he becomes available?
The other wide receiver that could be attainable is Larry Fitzgerald.
The Arizona Cardinals are in rebuild mode and Fitzgerald, who will be 35 when the season begins, currently counts $16.85 million against the cap.
Bleacher Report’s Ian Wharton suggested this week that Fitzgerald to Oakland is one of six trades that needs to happen before next season.
From his column:
“Although the Raiders have just $15 million in cap space currently, which isn’t enough to take Fitzgerald’s $16.9 million, Fitzgerald could either take a pay cut, or the Raiders could easily restructure the contract of one of their veterans that look to be with the team long-term, including Derek Carr, Kelechi Osemele or Rodney Hudson. That option would still give the team enough flexibility in 2019 to re-sign Khalil Mack and Cooper.”
“It would be tough for the Cardinals to part with Fitzgerald, but Oakland can be creative with its offer. A swap of their first-round picks plus Oakland’s fourth-round pick and a sixth-round pick would be a strong offer.”
The theory is that the Cardinals could be intrigued by the idea of moving to the 10th pick to draft a quarterback.
If Fitzgerald somehow joined the Raiders, Derek Carr would benefit from a receiver who has dropped fewer passes in his 14-year career than a talented fourth-year receiver already on the Raiders roster.
Joining Jordy Nelson and Amari Cooper, Fitzgerald would turn the Raiders wide receiver group into arguably the most difficult to defend in the league.
The Raiders could have one other option in Odell Beckham Jr., who the Giants are reportedly trying to trade – albeit at an astronomical cost.
Any team that trades for Beckham will get his unpredictable personality, lose high draft picks, and agree to an unprecedented financial commitment for a wide receiver – none of which are likely to tempt Jon Gruden and general manager Reggie McKenzie into going that direction.
twitter: @raidersbeat
Pipe dreams guys. Fitzgerald is going no where, it’s his last hurrah in Arizona. If traded or asked to be traded, I would guess Fitzgerald just retires. As far as Bryant, he’s a cancer that has been overrated for years. If we could get him for 5-8million on a prove it deal, then maybe. We are not a receiver away from a championship. We need defensive help and that has been proven the last couple years.
Swapping 1st round pick plus other picks plus 17 million cap # for a 35 yr old receiver?
Hell no that’s crazy
Complete and utter insanity!! Why in the hell would the Raiders do that? The Cards need to give us their 1st round pick to take the aging one off their hands.
By the way, for the record, I have always been a Larry Fitzgerald fan. And I respect him greatly. But, he’s 35. And that should end all discussions about trading anything more than a 5th or 6th round pick for him. We don’t need another vet anyway in my opinion. Jordy is good enough in that regard.
I’d give Dez $5M on a 1 year deal. Sure. Why not?
My thoughts exactly bro
Wasted 5min of my life reading this 💩
Agreed Jesus like really
Absolutely agree! Pure insanity! Yet the Raiders’ new (old) commander-in-chief hasn’t exactly been making moves which inspire a ton of confidence in his mental stability of late (re-signing a ponderously slow Reggie Nelson, ditto Leon Hall, cutting Crabtree, the team’s top (and comparative bargain) wide receiver, releasing Marquette King, the #3 ranked punter in the NFL last season, signing aging scrub Doug Martin, overpaying for a tired, injury prone and half-speed 33- year old Jordy Nelson & guaranteeing virtually all of his 2 year contract, failing to sign Trumaine Johnson despite strong mutual interest and sufficient cap room generated by Sean Smith’s release, failing to sign any of the top available defensive free agents, arguably weakening an already 29th ranked defense by signing (and re-signing) an unimpressive group of over-the-hill mid-level free agents, etc etc. so I wouldn’t necessarily put such a catastrophically stupid move past our delusional advocate of old-school football. However I sincerely doubt that even Gruden is stupid enough to trade down to 15 and sacrifice an additional 4th & 6th round pick for the rights to a 35 year old receiver with a $14 million cap hit (who’d likely retire before leaving the Cards for another team at this late stage of his career) no matter how good he once was or how infrequently he drops the ball!
Forget about swapping 1st rounders, negotiate a significant pay-cut & restructure to a guaranteed one-year deal in advance of the trade and it almost makes sense; otherwise it’s just suicidal!
Fitzgerald is still productive. But give up our 1st and a shot at DT Vita Vea or a great LB. Trumaine Edmunds, Roquan Smith. They’ll be GONE by the 155th pick! And give up draft picks? No thanks!!!
Chris Sanchez while I agree with not doing the trade to be fair he did say “swap” first round picks. So they would draft at 15 in the first round.
I doubt that this happens …no way the Raiders get rid of that 10th pick … Need to help the defense dramatically
Ummm I’d take Dez, I’m cool on paying Fitz that.
So let me get this straight. The Raiders will move down 5 slots in the 1st round, give up an additional 4th and 6th, for a 35 year old WR, and pay him $16.9 million dollars when he gets here? This was obviously written by a Chiefs fan. That’s literally the dumbest trade proposal I’ve heard in years. Wow.
There is no way on earth either of those trades are going to help the Raiders.Dez hasn’t been relevant on the cowboys as his production has fallen off and that’s why he in that conversation and Fitzgerald is long past the days where he is elite.Draft defensive!!
Maybe if Fitzgerald was 6-7 years younger but the offer you mentioned is way too much for a 35 yr old WR with a 16+ mil cap hit- Draft Picks are far too valuable especially a top 10 draft pick….I’m hoping for Vea to clog up the middle so 52 can be really unleashed
First you can’t restructure Carr without 7.5$ dead cap hit you mong. Second a trade for Fitz has to happen…he would be redundant with Nelson. Best bet is use a 2md or 3rd pick on one or wait n see who falls to 5&6 maybe a calloway or cedrick Wilson, Dylan cantrell may be white lightening 2.0…lmao but maybe
My words entirely #PipeDream
I agree
Let Greedy Beckham just over price himself out of the NFL and see how that works out for him…
Oh how I love the Off season!😂
This is so Retarded it deserves no comments so I’ll keep it short……..
Don’t think any GM in NFL would be suicidal enough to do this F-Tard idea
need to draft young talent to fit. not more over the hill vetrans.
Fake News. Clickbait. Not even wishful thinking.
I like both of those guys but I don’t want anymore veteran receivers from other teams, reason being…Cooper’s development. We got Jordy nelson and he is the perfect compliment to Cooper. Getting Dez or Fitzgerald at this stage does nothing but hold back Cooper.