In another unimpressive offseason move, the Oakland Raiders have signed unrestricted free agent wideout Javon Walker to a stunning 6-year $55 million contract that includes $16 million in guarantees, and will pay out approximately $27 million over the first 3 years of the deal. The move is the latest in a series of stunningly bad contracts doled out by Oakland over the past week.
Long on potential, but short on production, Walker has been limited to just 25 games the past 3 years, due to a torn ACL in 2005 and recurring knee problems that required a second and third surgery in 2007. Unhappy in Green Bay and wanting a new contract in early 2006, Walker was traded by the Packers to the Denver Broncos for a 2nd round pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. He then signed a 5-year $40 million contract, in which he collected over $16 million the past 2 years, before declaring his unhappiness with the Broncos, and asking to be traded. Unable to find a trade partner before a March 4th roster bonus of $5.4 million was due, the Broncos cut Walker, who now latches on with the perennially dysfunctional AFC West rival Oakland Raiders. $9.16 million per year is an absurd amount to pay for someone who's generally regarded as a clown, and who hasn't demonstrated he can stay healthy and provide a consistent explosive threat and Pro Bowl caliber talent for a team for longer than a year.
Showing posts with label oakland raiders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label oakland raiders. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Warren Sapp Officially Retires After 13-Year Hall of Fame Bound Career
Defensive tackle Warren Sapp has officially filed his retirement paperwork with the NFL, more than two months after he told teammates he would retire following the close of the season. The move will free up about $4 million in salary cap space for the Raiders.
Sapp played the last 4 seasons with the Oakland Raiders, after spending the previous 9 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, including a Super Bowl win against the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII. He will be remembered as one of, if not the premier "three technique" defensive tackle in NFL history.
Originally one of the top prospects in the 1995 NFL Draft, Sapp slid on draft day amid concerns he had smoked pot in college, and that infatuation with Mary Jane use might affect his future NFL performance. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers nabbed him with the 12th overall pick in the 1st round, and he went on to be a 7-time Pro Bowl selection, and 6-time NFL All-Pro selection, and was awarded the 1999 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Sapp will leave the game with 573 tackles and 96.5 sacks, good for second most in NFL history by a defensive tackle, only behind John Randle.
Sapp played the last 4 seasons with the Oakland Raiders, after spending the previous 9 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, including a Super Bowl win against the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII. He will be remembered as one of, if not the premier "three technique" defensive tackle in NFL history.
Originally one of the top prospects in the 1995 NFL Draft, Sapp slid on draft day amid concerns he had smoked pot in college, and that infatuation with Mary Jane use might affect his future NFL performance. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers nabbed him with the 12th overall pick in the 1st round, and he went on to be a 7-time Pro Bowl selection, and 6-time NFL All-Pro selection, and was awarded the 1999 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Sapp will leave the game with 573 tackles and 96.5 sacks, good for second most in NFL history by a defensive tackle, only behind John Randle.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Eagles Bag DE Chris Clemons With 5-Year $18.5 Million Contract
The Eagles continue to look to rebuild a dissapointing team from last year, and have signed unrestricted free agent defensive end Chris Clemons to a 5-year $18.5 million contract. A backup for his entire career, Clemons rushing ability is what attracted teams to him, as he racked up 8 sacks in spot duty last season, and there aren't very many pass rushers currently available on the market.
Clemons came into the league as an undrafted free agent in 2003, and signed with the Washington Redskins, and prompty suffered a torn ACL and landed on injured reserve. He spent 2004 and part of 2005 with the Redskins, as well as a brief stint with the Cleveland Browns (on the practice squad), and was out of football in 2006. In 2007 the Oakland Raiders rescued Clemons from the scrap heap, and he appeared in all 16 games, totaling 20 tackles, 8 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles.
Clemons came into the league as an undrafted free agent in 2003, and signed with the Washington Redskins, and prompty suffered a torn ACL and landed on injured reserve. He spent 2004 and part of 2005 with the Redskins, as well as a brief stint with the Cleveland Browns (on the practice squad), and was out of football in 2006. In 2007 the Oakland Raiders rescued Clemons from the scrap heap, and he appeared in all 16 games, totaling 20 tackles, 8 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Jacksonville Hauls in WR Jerry Porter With 6-Year $30 Million Deal
The Jacksonville Jaguars have gotten little production from their wide receiver core the last few years, and are hoping things will change with their newest additions. The team signed free agent wideout Jerry Porter to a 6-year $30 million contract, which is similar to the 6-year $25 million deal that Plaxico Burress had signed with the New York Giants in 2005. Neither receiver had ever been a stud #1 for a team, but with a weak market at the position both were rewarded handsomely.
Porter was drafted by the Oakland Raiders out of West Virginia in the 2nd round of the 2000 NFL Draft, but never lived up to the hype as a field stretching threat. In 8 seasons with the team Porter only totaled 284 receptions and 30 touchdowns in105 games (2.7 catches per game), and has never produced a 1000 yard season. In 2005 he spent 12 games watching from the sidelines after quarelling with coaches over his lack of work ethic.
Jacksonville continues to re-shape the roster at the position after failing with key draft picks at the position like Matt Jones (1st round 2005) and Reggie Williams (1st round 2004), neither of whom have materialized as a go-to-guy on gameday.
Porter was drafted by the Oakland Raiders out of West Virginia in the 2nd round of the 2000 NFL Draft, but never lived up to the hype as a field stretching threat. In 8 seasons with the team Porter only totaled 284 receptions and 30 touchdowns in105 games (2.7 catches per game), and has never produced a 1000 yard season. In 2005 he spent 12 games watching from the sidelines after quarelling with coaches over his lack of work ethic.
Jacksonville continues to re-shape the roster at the position after failing with key draft picks at the position like Matt Jones (1st round 2005) and Reggie Williams (1st round 2004), neither of whom have materialized as a go-to-guy on gameday.
Raiders Sign Gibril Wilson To Preposterous 6-Year $39 Million Deal
The Oakland Raiders have been the model for dysfunction in the NFL, and after a couple of their most recent moves, have cemented their place as one of the worst front offices in the League. Days after signing Tommy Kelly to an asinine 7-year $50 million deal, the Raiders have struck again, signing unrestricted free agent safety Gibril Wilson to a 6-year $39 million contract, including $16 million in guarantees. The contract will pay Wilson $19.5 million over the first 3 years of the deal, so it doesn't necessarily seem like a contract with a bunch of inflated numbers, and averages $6.583 million a year. For Gibril Wilson, whom the Super Bowl winning New York Giants chose to not even attempt to re-sign, and the same player who has only mustered 11 interceptions and 27 passes deflected in 4 years in the NFL.
To put this signing into perspective, let's look at some of the recent contracts signed by other starting safeties in the NFL:
1) Bob Sanders signed a 5-year $37.5 million extension with the Indianapolis Colts, including $20 million in guaranteed money (12/28/2007); average of $7.5 million per year for the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year
2) Troy Polamalu signed a 4-year $30.19 million deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, with $15.375 million guaranteed (07/23/2007); average of $7.5475 million per year
3) Ed Reed signed a 6-year $40 millio extension with the Baltimore Ravens, including a $15 million signing bonus (06/28/2006); practical value a 4-year $20.385 million deal before base salaries jump and will force contract to be re-visited; average of $6.667 million per year, but more likely average of $5.097 million per year
4) Adrian Wilson signed a 5-year $21 million extension with the Arizona Cardinals (12/23/2004); average of $4.2 million per year (although likely to break the bank next offseason with another team)
So to review, the Raiders have made Gibril Wilson the 3rd highest paid safety in league history, when his own team didn't think he was good enough to even make a push to re-sign him.
To put this signing into perspective, let's look at some of the recent contracts signed by other starting safeties in the NFL:
1) Bob Sanders signed a 5-year $37.5 million extension with the Indianapolis Colts, including $20 million in guaranteed money (12/28/2007); average of $7.5 million per year for the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year
2) Troy Polamalu signed a 4-year $30.19 million deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, with $15.375 million guaranteed (07/23/2007); average of $7.5475 million per year
3) Ed Reed signed a 6-year $40 millio extension with the Baltimore Ravens, including a $15 million signing bonus (06/28/2006); practical value a 4-year $20.385 million deal before base salaries jump and will force contract to be re-visited; average of $6.667 million per year, but more likely average of $5.097 million per year
4) Adrian Wilson signed a 5-year $21 million extension with the Arizona Cardinals (12/23/2004); average of $4.2 million per year (although likely to break the bank next offseason with another team)
So to review, the Raiders have made Gibril Wilson the 3rd highest paid safety in league history, when his own team didn't think he was good enough to even make a push to re-sign him.
Raiders Re-Sign DT/DE Tommy Kelly To Asinine 7-Year $50 Million Deal
The Oakland Raiders have not had much success the past few years, and with their most recent roster moves they may not be getting better any time soon. Adam Schefter of NFL Networks reports that the team has re-signed defensive lineman Tommy Kelly to a whopping 7-year $50 million contract, including $18.1 million in guaranteed money.
Kelly joined Oakland as an undrafted free agent out of Mississippi State in 2004, and is coming of a 2007 season in which he missed half the year with a torn ACL, suffered in the October 28th game against the Tennessee Titans. He has averaged 33.5 tackles and 3.375 sacks per year for the Raiders, who were second to last in the league in rushing yards per game last year. Those aren't exactly the kind of contributions you want to pay top dollar for.
Kelly has allegedly been the team's most consistent defensive lineman the past two years, and has spent time at both defensive end and defensive tackle, but he is not a Pro Bowl caliber player, nor will he likely be for the length of his sparkling new contract. To pay an average defensive lineman over $7 million a year further illustrates the mismanagement of the Raiders' roster, and highlights the need for owner Al Davis to finally hand the team over to someone with a pulse who can clean house and hire a real general manager.
Kelly joined Oakland as an undrafted free agent out of Mississippi State in 2004, and is coming of a 2007 season in which he missed half the year with a torn ACL, suffered in the October 28th game against the Tennessee Titans. He has averaged 33.5 tackles and 3.375 sacks per year for the Raiders, who were second to last in the league in rushing yards per game last year. Those aren't exactly the kind of contributions you want to pay top dollar for.
Kelly has allegedly been the team's most consistent defensive lineman the past two years, and has spent time at both defensive end and defensive tackle, but he is not a Pro Bowl caliber player, nor will he likely be for the length of his sparkling new contract. To pay an average defensive lineman over $7 million a year further illustrates the mismanagement of the Raiders' roster, and highlights the need for owner Al Davis to finally hand the team over to someone with a pulse who can clean house and hire a real general manager.
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