Oakland's free-agent signings have upgraded the talent on the roster. The players should also help change the losing culture with the Raiders because there are seven
Super Bowl rings among them. The Raiders haven't had a winning season since 2002.
The big drawback is the signings are short-term fixes without any apparent long-range vision. Most of the players are on at least their third NFL contract, have injury concerns, were unwanted by their former teams or are considered declining players. The average age of the players at the start of the 2014 regular season will be 30.2 years old. The signings are somewhat reminiscent of the Redskins in 2000 when they signed Mark Carrier, Deion Sanders and Bruce Smith, all past their primes, to deals near the top of their respective markets. Fortunately, McKenzie got much better value with his signings.
Justin Tuck had a bounce-back year with the Giants in 2013 by posting 10 sacks. He had nine sacks in the two previous seasons combined. Tuck was willing to return to the Giants on the
two-year, $8 million contract but called New York's offer disrespectful.
Maurice Jones-Drew hasn't been the same player since a lisfranc foot injury sidelined him for the Jaguars' final 10 games in 2012. Jones-Drew averaged a career-low 3.4 yards per carry in 2013. He led the NFL in rushing with 1,606 yards in 2011, his last healthy season. Besides getting the chance to return home, Oakland provides Jones-Drew with the best chance for significant playing time.
LaMarr Woodley became expendable in Pittsburgh after Jason Worilds was given a transition tag. He had five sacks in 2013 while being limited to 11 games with a calf injury. Woodley wasn't living up to the six-year, $61.5 million contract he signed with the Steelers in 2011. Before the deal, Woodley had three straight double-digit sack seasons. After getting the contract, Woodley had 18 sacks in three seasons.
Woodley and
Antonio Smith are making the switch from 3-4 defenses to a 4-3 scheme. Woodley will transition from outside linebacker to defensive end while Smith moves from defensive end to defensive tackle.
Austin Howard's contract is surprising considering Oakland's plans for him. He has primarily played right tackle but is moving to guard. The overall value of his contract equals the compensation in 2012 Pro Bowl guard
Zane Beadles' deal with the Jaguars.
Additionally, running back
Darren McFadden, defensive tackle
Pat Sims and safety
Charles Woodson return to the fold.
McFadden signed a one-year, $1.75 million deal. Only $100,000 of McFadden's contract is guaranteed. The deal also contains $2.25 million in incentives for him reaching 1,100, 1,250 and 1,400 rushing yards.
'Pay as you go' contract structure
McKenzie is using a "pay as you go" structure with his signings. A player's cash and salary cap numbers are the same in each contract year because he is receiving salary guarantees instead of a signing bonus under the "pay as you go" model. The guarantees typically consist of 2014 base salary or roster bonuses in these deals. Since there isn't any signing bonus proration, the Raiders won't have any dead money if a player is released after the season. For example, Howard's five-year, $30 million contract can become a one-year, $8 million deal if he is released early in the 2015 league year. His $8 million 2014 salary consists of $2.9 million fully guaranteed base salary, $5 million roster bonus (March 15) and $100,000 workout bonus. Howard has a $3 million roster bonus payable on the fifth day of the 2015 league year. Additionally, his $3.9 million 2015 base salary is guaranteed for injury only. It becomes fully guaranteed on the seventh day of the 2015 league year.
This approach ensures that the Raiders will not have the salary-cap problems of the previous regime. The "pay as you go" model gives the Raiders flexibility to remake the roster in 2015 if the acquisitions don't perform up to expectations without adverse cap consequences because of the lack of dead money.
Quarterback
Matt Schaub takes his talents to Oakland. (USATSI)
McKenzie's ability to solve Oakland's issues at quarterback has left a lot to be desired. He made a big mistake in acquiring
Matt Flynn from the Seahawks last year (for a 2014 fifth-round pick and a conditional '15 pick). To make matters worse, McKenzie increased Flynn's 2013 salary by $1.25 million while also guaranteeing it in two contract restructures to create desperately needed cap room. Surprisingly, Flynn couldn't beat out
Terrelle Pryor for the starting job in the preseason. Flynn was released five games into the season but made a little over $6 million from the Raiders in 2013 for his troubles.
Jones-Drew: Schaub can lead Raiders to Super Bowl
A 2013 fourth-round pick was used on
Tyler Wilson. He was considered a potential quarterback of the future when drafted but he was released in the preseason. He spent most of the season on Oakland's practice squad before the Tennessee Titans signed him to their 53-man roster late in the year. Undrafted
Matt McGloin, who was signed primarily as a training camp arm, shared starting quarterback duties with Pryor.
The quarterback situation was unsettled until
Matt Schaub was
acquired from the Texans for a sixth-round pick. Schaub, 33 before the start of the regular season, is coming off a disastrous 2013 season in which he threw a pick-six in four consecutive games, an NFL record, and was benched for Case Keenum.
Before the 2013 season began, the two-time Pro Bowl selection was more highly regarded around the NFL than Carson Palmer, Oakland's starting quarterback in 2012. Schaub had a good 2012 season by conventional football metrics. He was sixth in completion percentage (64.3), ninth in passer rating (90.7) and topped the 4,000-yard mark for the third time his career while leading the Texans to their second straight AFC South title with a 12-4 record.
Schaub renegotiated his contract as a part of the trade. He reduced his 2014 salary from $11 million to a fully guaranteed $8 million. His 2015 salary goes from $13.5 million to $5.5 million and his 2016 contract year was deleted in the process. There are $3 million in incentives for each year with high thresholds -- $1 million for being selected to the Pro Bowl, $1 million for 80 percent playing time in the regular season and Raiders making the playoffs and $1 million with 80 percent playing time and a
Super Bowl victory as the starting quarterback. If Schaub doesn't rebound from his disappointing 2013 campaign, he essentially has a one-year deal for $8 million.