The Oakland Raiders have a number of free agents for next season and although the team had a disappointing year in 2012, the franchise is looking towards the future and that could be one reason why they may let tight end Brandon Myers go and trade quarterback Carson Palmer.
The team went just 4-12 last season and although Myers had a breakout year for the Raiders, they feel they can afford to let him go since the tight end market in the draft and free agency is fairly deep, with names like Anthonly Fasano, Martellus Bennett, Jared Cook and Tony Gonzalez available.
Myers was first on the team with 79 receptions for 806 and four touchdowns and created a good relationship with Palmer, who completed 61 percent of his attempts and made the Raiders the eighth ranked passing team in the NFL. Myers set career-highs in each category and Palmer was efficient when going to him, completing over 75 percent of his passes.
According to Bill Williamson of ESPN.com, Scout Inc.'s Matt Williamson said of Myers: "Myers certainly understands when to sit it down versus zone coverage and runs sharp enough routes to get open versus man as well," Williamson said. "Oakland's receivers have a lot of talent, but are just so erratic and inconsistent with their routes and responsibilities ... which makes Myers alluring for this passing game. Oakland should bring him back if possible."
Oakland has a number of receivers in Denarius Moore, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Jacoby Ford, which is one reason why they may let him go, but the former Iowa Hawkeye provided a security blanket for Palmer and gave him an option on third down. If Myers leaves, Palmer could be on the way out as well, as the Raiders may not want to pay him as much as his contract has on it.
The Raiders are in a decent position if they decided to trade Palmer, as they feel comfortable with Terrelle Pryor at quarterback and the team has the number three pick in the draft, meaning they could have the chance to select one of the top quarterbacks, including Geno Smith and Matt Barkley.
The Raiders will have options in the draft at tight end as well, with Stanford's Zach Ertz and Notre Dame's Tyler Eifert coming out this season. Myers had the most catches for a Raiders tight end in a number of years and proved his value as a former sixth round pick.
Jared Cook could be an option, but if Myers leaves, there will be a number of teams looking for his services. The Giants could bring in the tight end after possibly losing Martellus Bennett, while the Eagles, Rams, Titans and Lions could all come bidding.
"Obviously, I'd like to stay. I've got a lot of friendships and know the coaches really well. They took a chance on me when I got drafted. I'd like to be there but it's not looking like that right now. I guess I just have to stay patient and figure some stuff out. We're pretty confident I'll have a job here in a couple of weeks, but I'll just try to sit back and not stress about it," Myers said, via Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group, according to NBCSports. "I'm not very familiar with this. That's why I have an agent. I'm optimistic that they might give me an offer, but I guess they had a conversation at the combine and it didn't sound like they were ready to do that. We'll just see where it takes is."
