The Oakland Raiders are in the mix with several teams for the top free agents once the market opens up on Tuesday. This season more than ever, the Raiders are primed to be a favored landing spot for players after the hiring of Jack Del Rio and potential shown by Derek Carr and other youth on the team. Oakland plans on using that plus their large amount of cap space to recruit several big names out to the West Coast and it starts with the offense.
The Raiders need at least two wide receivers and a running back along with potentially another tight end. The team can certainly take care of some of that in the NFL Draft, but they also need to spend money on them as well. When it comes to the receiver spot, the Raiders will lose Andre Holmes, Rod Streater and Denarius Moore to free agency. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Raiders are prioritizing Randall Cobb and Julius Thomas at that position.
The Raiders have been linked to trade deals for both Andre Johnson and Mike Wallace simply because they can afford to take on their contracts. However, Oakland is not keen on giving up draft picks which makes Cobb and Thomas the better options. Cobb would be able to pair up with former teammate James Jones while Thomas would work in tandem with third-year tight end Mychal Rivera.
Schefter believes the Raiders are placing the two offensive players ahead of defensive end Ndamukong Suh. Mike Silver of NFL Media reports Oakland will host Suh for a visit next week when free agency begins, but might not be sold on the amount of money he is demanding. It is being reported that Suh wants $17 million per season, making him the highest-paid defensive player in the league. The Raiders may have around $58.8 million to spend with the salary cap, but even that type of money is not ideal to take on.
The running back spot will also need to be an area of focus. Maurice Jones-Drew officially announced his retirement while Darren McFadden is out in free agency. Latavius Murray could have a strong future ahead of him, but cannot do it alone. The free agent market is relatively weak at the position, but the Raiders could try and win over DeMarco Murray or CJ Spiller with a big contract.
