Here's the deal: two big-name, offseason free-agent acquisitions, cornerback DeAngelo Hall and wide receiver Javon Walker, are no longer available to facilitate the team's decent into repugnation (just made that one up, but it seems oddly fitting). Hall, and his seven-year, $70 million contract have been jettisoned, and Walker declared his 2008 season over because of a bad ankle. (Gretz punched some numbers into his old schoool TI-35 and figures that, given Walker's set to make $12 million this year, he's pulling down $800,000 per catch. Splendid.)
It gets worse, though.
The Raiders are not only out $20 million in actual dollars for the 16 games played by DeAngelo Hall and Javon Walker, but will also see both players take up a good chunk of salary cap space in 2009.Furthermore, according to the Oakland Tribune's Jerry McDonald, Walker's contract virtually guarantees the team will have to pay him a $5 million bonus despite his injury. McDonald continued bearing bad news: "Should Oakland pay the guarantee as stipulated and then cut Walker, the 2009 cap charge $14,166,667 to terminate the relationship. Combined with the Hall dead money, that's $20 million in dead money."
With Hall having been waived, the Raiders will have $5.833,334 in "dead money" under the 2009 cap, according to league figures.
I think NFL commissioner Roger Goodell should give the Raiders an uncapped 2009 just to see if it would make a difference. Given this, I'd wager no, but some sort of cost-of-doing-business-with-Al Davis salary adjustment doesn't seem unreasonable.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-15-2008 @ 2:57PM
Bob said...
As a Raider fan since 1970, I say let the franchise sink under the weight of Al's ego. No bailouts from the league. Only when Davis dies, relinquishes control of the team, or has the franchise revoked by the league will the Raiders stand a chance. Al was a football genius thirty, forty years ago. Now he's just a doddering old egomaniac who listens only to the suckup sycophants he's surrounded himself with. He's blinded by his own hype and he places himself above the success of the team. He micromanages the team, never letting a head coach BE head coach, but he doesn't have the guts to actually step up and be the head coach because then he wouldn't have any scapegoats. He's an idiot, a bully and a coward. Let this franchise's crash-and-burn be Al Davis' ultimate legacy.
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11-16-2008 @ 11:41PM
odogg said...
i couldnt agree with you more
11-15-2008 @ 10:27PM
Eric said...
JAMARCUS+30MILLION GUARANTEED= BUST
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11-16-2008 @ 2:13PM
Raider Ray said...
You're an idiot.
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11-17-2008 @ 1:22PM
Raider Peaches said...
Al Davis needs to just go somewhere and die.. Or can someone please take him out??? He was a football genius 40 - 50 years ago, but these past 8 years he's gone down hill.
I'm a Raiders Die Hard fan, but Al makes it hard for us to be able to hold our heads up high. We were once the proudest organization in the NFL, but with Al and all of his crazy going ons we're now the laughing stock of the league.
We can't score a TD on Offense, our "D" has showed up and done their jobs for the most part, which seems to really be the only bright spot. Hopefully Nnamdi stays with the Raiders.
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