The Raiders have a ton of cap space entering free agency and the expectation around the league is that they will be highly aggressive. Could they target a few of the top players at important positions and what type of deal would make sense for the Raiders?
In a recent article by Mike Tannenbaum of ESPN, he laid out a few players and deals that could be done in free agency. One of the deals he suggested was for Jamel Dean, who is widely viewed as the top cornerback in this class.
Tannebaum suggested that teams interested in Dean should offer a deal of around $72 million over four years for the star cornerback. Here is a snippet of his thoughts on the player and why $18 million a year feels like the right price for both sides:
Dean is still 26 years old and has 57 games of experience over his four-year career. At 6-foot-1 and 206 pounds, the 2019 third-round pick out of Auburn has great size for a cornerback and has proved both durable and productive. Dean was solid yet again last season, hauling in two interceptions and breaking up eight passes. He has averaged more than 10 pass breakups per season over his career.
As for his potential contract, I’d look at Xavien Howard’s recent extension as a rough model, with an $18 million per-year breakdown. Playmaking cornerbacks are valuable, and there aren’t many on the market who are still young, can stay healthy and have a deep resume of on-ball production.
Given the need the Raiders have at cornerback, this would make a lot of sense. Dean is an outside cornerback and would allow Nate Hobbs to slide into the slot in three receiver sets. He’s just entering his prime and has managed to stay on the field for the majority of his career.
If the Raiders want to add a player like Dean in free agency, they better be able to offer him a top-flight deal, such as the one that Tannebaum suggested.
