We know the Raiders are sniffing around the idea of adding Jadeveon Clowney or Yannick Ngakoue, but things aren’t moving quickly and the season is now less than three weeks away.
So what are the chances one will end up in a Raiders uniform this year?
Let’s start with Clowney.
Clowney seems to be waiting for a team to panic (maybe on account of an injury) and pay him somewhere close to the $17 million he has been asking for. To this point it seems Clowney’s camp isn’t blinking, but it’s hard to see him sitting out much longer.
Rumor is Clowney doesn’t enjoy this time of year much anyway, so maybe in the next week or so he’ll start thinking about taking his best offer. The Raiders offer is reportedly competitive with the others, but the popular guess on Clowney is that he’ll end up in Tennessee with a few familiar coaches (and Tennessee is another state like Nevada that is tax friendly).
From the Raiders standpoint, how much are they willing to pay for a pass rusher that has never put up a double-digit sack total in a season?
And that leads us to Ngakoue.
Despite all of Clowney’s talent, most (or all) general managers would consider Ngakoue the better player.
Unfortunately, Ngakoue would have to come via trade and involves a lot of risk. Whoever gets Ngakoue is getting a free agent after the 2020 season. How much draft capital do you give up for a one-year contract worth almost $18 million?
From the outside, it seems like the Raiders have more interest in Ngakoue than Clowney. For whatever reason, the Raiders seem to be one of the few teams willing to roll the dice on trading for Ngakoue in hopes of re-signing him after the season. Reports have hinted that Jon Gruden is primarily the one pushing for another pass rusher, but with newly-signed DE Carl Nassib reportedly not standing out in camp, maybe Gruden can garner a little more enthusiasm in the building for a high profile trade.
Whatever happens, we know Gruden is ready to win now. He doesn’t want to enter his fourth year with the Raiders still looking for a winning season.
He’s also tired of hearing about the Khalil Mack trade.
What better way to move on from the Mack trade than by getting one of the best pass rushers in the league and adding that pass rusher to a defensive line that already has Maxx Crosby and a much-improved Clelin Ferrell?
twitter: @raidersbeat
I think next years draft is going to be extremely weird to say the least so if you were to gamble a pick (second rounder max) on a guy that might be one and done. This would be the year to do it….but on the other hand mayock has been so frickin awesome on draft days I might want to hold on to high picks…I don’t think there will be too many diamonds in the rough in day 3 as you could find in normal years. So giving up a 2nd rounder , especially if he’s one and done, could be a big mistake
Yep! Coach G is not going to give away the farm and the upside with Ngakoue is very enticing, but 2021 it presents a huge risk when you consider the cap next year and losing him to FA , plus draft picks .
With Mayock as the Brain trust the Nation is in good hands ! Time is on our side at the moment as we approach the season opener..Just Win Baby!
This article is 100% on point, on ALL fronts.
Question:
With the Yardbarker reporting that Marcus Mariota reportedly is not looking good in Raiders’ camp, is it time to “consider” Colin Kapernik?
for get about it
We’ve had enough with the problem children, I think our D is good to go.
Our D is good huh? Forget about Kapernik huh? Giving up a 2nd rounder is a big mistake for Yannick huh? Al Davis would reject that kind of thinking in a heartbeat. Take your pom poms and your retrograde thinking and stay in your lanes. After you find your way out of a wet paper bag, get a brain and stop being hanger ons and use that 8 lbs of flesh above your shoulders for something more than a hat holder. People who think like you are the reason that the Raiders have had only one winning season since 2002. Al Davis WAS NEVER SATISFIED and ANYONE who wants the Raiders to succeed shouldn’t be either. In case you didn’t know, it’s Jon Gruden, inside the Raiders organization that is the one pushing for the Yannick trade. So, either you trust him or you don’t. Make up your mind.