The Oakland Raiders are planning on building a roster filled with playmakers in order to make Derek Carr's second year in the league much more successful than his first. Head coach Jack Del Rio has all the confidence in the world in the quarterback so long as the Raiders can sign a few big names in the offseason to help him out. As they prepare to enter free agency with some of the most salary cap space in the league, one long-time player will not be returning in 2015.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Darren McFadden will not be re-signing with the Raiders in free agency. The running back's tenure with the team could easily be summed up as disappointing. After being a first-round draft pick for Oakland, his time with the team has been up and down with injuries and inconsistencies. He returned in 2014 after signing a one-year deal with the Raiders to start behind Maurice Jones-Drew. Both ended up being a disappointment as McFadden had just 534 yards in 12 games while averaging just 3.4 yards per carry. He eventually gave way to Latavius Murray who is favored as the future.
It was assumed that McFadden would be out. He never truly lived up to his potential. Jones-Drew is likely to follow as the Raiders can save even more space by releasing the veteran as well which will open them up to get a big name at the position. The Raiders have salary cap space to make some noise in free agency and could start with a running back. Oakland could easily offer players like DeMarco Murray or Marshawn Lynch the contract of their choice while also being an option for a trade for LeSean McCoy, something they were linked to in the mid-season deadline.
With a top a running back in place, the Raiders will also aim to get a top wide receiver into the mix. Andre Holmes, Rod Streater and Denarius Moore are all free agents and likely to not return. The Raiders can chase big names like Dez Bryant, Jeremy Maclin and Randall Cobb if they want in order to give Carr that true deep threat receiver. Julius Thomas and Jordan Cameron could round out the offense at tight end.