The Oakland Raiders are coming into the offseason with a huge amount of cap space and after winning three games last season, free agent players like Julius Thomas, Jermaine Gresham, Michael Crabtree, Terrance Knighton and Owen Daniels could be options, while an Adrian Peterson or Andre Johnson trade could be in the mix and this comes as Darren McFadden may not return when he hits free agency for 2015.
According to Pro Football Talk, the Raiders were looking to sign Randall Cobb or Jeremy Maclin, but with those players off the market, they may look at Crabtree. Mike Florio writes that Jermaine Gresham could be a top target if Julius Thomas signs with the Jaguars. Knighton has become a major target for teams if he leaves the Broncos, while the Raiders may also look at a Peterson trade with their cap space.
The Raiders brought in Jack Del Rio as the new head coach and owner Mark Davis introduced him as the type of leader that he expects to be with the franchise long term. The Raiders have had problems with that over the last stretch of years and Davis is hoping Del Rio has more success than Dennis Allen did. The team fired Allen midway through the season and put in Tony Sparano as the interim coach, but Davis did not retain him after the season.
According to Over the Cap, the Raiders are projected to have over $50 million in cap space this offseason and with a deep class of players, Oakland could be very active. General manager Reggie McKenzie did not sign too many big contracts last offseason and that has allowed the Raiders to set up for a big offseason. The team has needs on both sides of the ball and with the Raiders pushing a young starter in Derek Carr, it's likely they go after some offensive weapons on the market.
Jeremy Maclin, Randall Cobb and Frank Gore were three strong offensive players on the market and the Raiders would have chased all three of them if they didn't get signed so fast.. Thomas is likely to leave the Broncos, as Denver is determined to bring back Demaryius Thomas and they may not have enough cap space to bring back Thomas. According to the Denver Post, Thomas is going to be targeted seriously by the Jaguars and he also could be an option for the Raiders and Browns.
Darren McFadden is a free agent and that could lead the Raiders to target Frank Gore, DeAngelo Williams, DeMarco Murray or Marshawn Lynch if he becomes available. Ndamukong Suh could be a target if the Lions let him hit the market, but all signs point to him re-signing with Detroit. Suh is reportedly looking for a $100 million deal and the Raiders could compete with the cap space they have.
According to ESPN.com, the Raiders are releasing LaMarr Woodley just one year after signing him to a free agent deal. Woodley signed a two year contract for $12 million last offseason, but he ended up injuring his biceps in Week 7 and his season was over. Woodley was the one of the more notable signings the team made last offseason while also signing Justin Tuck, James Jones and Maurice Jones-Drew and now they free up even more cap space by cutting him loose.