When the Oakland Raiders hired Jack Del Rio as their head coach, he made it clear the best way for the team to be successful was to build around Derek Carr. While the rookie quarterback only won a handful of games last year, he showed plenty of potential for future success. That all hinges upon the Raiders getting playmakers are him and the team intends to be very active in the free agent market to achieve that goal.
According to ESPN.com, one of the best free agent fits for Oakland is Julius Thomas. The Denver Broncos tight end will be a free agent and Walter Football predicts that he is headed for the open market over re-signing to play with Peyton Manning again. Thomas wants to get paid and the Broncos cannot afford to re-sign everyone meaning he could get left out. According to Thomas, he is a big Raiders fan since he was nine which is fueling the idea that he heads to Oakland in 2015.
"Oh yeah, I was a big time Raiders fan," said Thomas, via the Sacramento Bee. "I went to a lot of games with my dad and my grandpa. It's a family atmosphere out there for me. I think any given Sunday I was probably averaging about 20-25 family members at those games. I always enjoyed coming back to Oakland and playing and getting to see family and spend time."
Right now the Raiders have Mychal Rivera at the tight end spot, He has shown a lot of promise and progression in his two seasons with the team, but clearly Thomas is better. Rivera struggled at blocking last season, but would be a solid No. 2 option working in tandem with Thomas.
If the Raiders cannot get Thomas, they could look to someone like Jordan Cameron who would be another talented option. According to a report by Yardbarker, Cameron turned down a contract offer that would have paid him between $6 and $7 million a year. The tight end broke out onto the scene in 2013, but struggled with injuries and quarterback issues in 2015. It is unclear if any team will offer him more than what the Browns did, but he could add another level to the roster.
The Raiders will also aim to get better at the wide receiver spot as players like Andre Holmes and Denarius Moore are not expected to return. The team could aim to trade for Larry Fitzgerald or Andre Johnson or they could try and sign Michael Crabtree or Jeremy Maclin for help if they opt not to draft Amari Cooper.