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 Salary cap has Oakland facing choicesBy John Clayton ESPN.com SAN DIEGO -- The Raiders might not be the "Over The Hill Gang,'' but they are the "Over The Cap Crew.'' No team has been $48 million over the salary cap heading into an offseason until this season. But Oakland is.
One scenario: say goodbye to defensive tackle Sam Adams, cornerbacks Tory James and Terrance Shaw, halfback Terry Kirby, safety Anthony Dorsett, defensive end Regan Upshaw and wide receiver James Jett. But the Raiders have the flexibility to release other players and keep some of these. For example, Raiders coach Bill Callahan could elect to keep Dorsett and release Rod Woodson. And he might want to keep James, who was a valuable starter down the stretch despite playing with a broken leg. But the Raiders used their first round choice on cornerback Phillip Buchanon. They won't have the luxury of starting Dorsett and Woodson together because they have Derrick Gibson, their first-round choice in 2001. So one of the two must go. Another player on the bubble is tight end Roland Williams, who makes $2.033 million but is playing behind rookie Doug Jolley. Releasing him, though, doesn't create significant cap savings.
The Raiders have two first-round choices, so it's not out of the question for them to maneuver to get one or two starters from the draft. For cap purposes, they don't have the luxury of having top draft choices sit. Last year, they hit the jackpot with Buchanon, middle linebacker Napoleon Harris, Jolley and tackle Langston Walker. Still, there are fundamental decisions that go beyond just keeping the aging core of this team together. The question facing the Raiders is that does it make sense to do so. And it's not a given that veterans coming off of a Super Bowl season might be willing to play for no pay increases. Rice went to the Pro Bowl making only $1.35 million. Kennedy is clearly the league's best right tackle, but is he willing to do it again for $1.9 million? The good news for Raiders management is that they were humbled by their 48-21 loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday. Kennedy, who hinted that he was thinking about retirement last Wednesday, said that he has to come back next year just to redeem his career. Rice and Brown are friends, and even though Brown had to handle not being the team's main wide receiver, he wants to continue playing. Rod Woodson might have retired had he gotten his Super Bowl ring, but he will let it up to management to decide his fate. "Everybody in the front office is making decisions,'' Woodson said. "We are know the salary cap issues. More than likely I will be back. I want to be back. If they don't think I should be back, I'll be coaching my kids football team in Pennsylvania.'' The problem with the Raiders salary cap is that it is ticking time bomb that can blow up several times during the offseason. For example, Russell has applied for reinstatement. He is schedule to make $10.2 million in salary and bonuses, but his salary counts as nothing as long as he is suspended. At some point, he will be reinstated, but the Raiders don't want him back because of his off-the-field problems. They save that money will he is out, but they would take a $3.6 million cap hit by releasing him before June. That means once he is reinstated, the Raiders have to clear $6.6 million of cap room immediately.
The other "issue" is center Barrett Robbins, who had an All-Pro year and is one of the most dominating inside blockers in the game. His weekend woes in San Diego that caused him to miss the Super Bowl will probably mean that he will be released. Several teammates spoke out against Robbins after the game. Guard Frank Middleton said that Robbins betrayed the family relationship along the offensive line. Guard Mo Collins was even stronger, implying that he wanted Robbins to crawl under the rock that he came out of. Because Middleton is a guard making $1.7 million next year and Collins is unsigned, there is no guarantee that both will be here. Still, Robbins probably has played his last game as a Raider. He is scheduled to make $3.25 million this season. Releasing him before June will move up a $3.1 million signing bonus acceleration. The Raiders save nothing and gain nothing by releasing him -- his release would have nothing to do with the cap. And don't forget this: Robbins is one of the most important players on the team. Another major issue is that cornerback Charles Woodson, entering the final year of his contract, needs to sign a big extension. If he does sign, he'll probably end up the highest paid cornerback in football, putting him in the $5-to-$6 million a year range. The Raiders will have nine free agents, and it will be hard to pay more than the minimum salary to bring them back. Collins is the only starter unsigned. That means they'll be hardpressed to have the experienced depth that they enjoyed last season. They can keep Charlie Garner, but they probably won't have the luxury of having Tyrone Wheatley and Zack Crockett -- who are unsigned -- as backups. Crockett may re-sign for the minimum just to be the short-yardage back, but that's up to him. The fullback position is open because Jon Ritchie is unsigned. Ritchie is the starting fullback, but his role was reduced because the Raiders went to a three-receiver, one back approach that rarely had Ritchie on the field. Another potential problem could involve wide receiver Jerry Porter. He is signed through 2004, but he is emerging as one of the best young receivers in the game. He's only making $465,000 next year and might want to push for a big contract in the next two seasons. The final part of the Raiders salary cap woes will come during the summer. Last year, the Raiders had $4.4 million of rookie pool money tied up with their draft choices. With two first-round picks and a second-rounder, the 2003 number should be around $4 million. Except for the Super Bowl, the Raiders season was magical. They returned to prominence, and they could still take one more run, but it will have to be with an older starting lineup and less backups. The next move is up to management. John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. |
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