Al Davis has seldom admitted to errors in judgement, but his actions of late suggest a man who has decided not to cling to some of his worst ideas. When the Raiders cut Gibril Wilson Friday, it couldn't have made Javon Walker, Tommy Kelly, Terdell Sands or Michael Huff feel very good bout their job security. Wilson may not have been the impact player the Raiders had hoped, and he never seemed to warm to the silver and black experience, but he outperformed all of them. Recent reports indicate Walker will be the next to go, although it's worth noting there were rumors to that affect last season as well. In fact, about the time DeAngelo Hall was dumped, stories about a purge were circulating, with Davis so angry he was considering massive in-season cuts. Other than Hall, it didn't happen. It's not known if Wilson had the opportunity to stay if he was willing to accept a pay cut, much as LaMont Jordan did two years ago. Perhaps Walker will be extended an opportunity to stay as well. If he felt guilty enough about his desire and performance level to enough to consider retiring last training camp, perhaps he'd take a significant reduction to prove he's still got something in the tank. With his production of late, Walker could forfeit the $5 million entirely, play for his $4 million salary, and that would still be more money than he'll make on the open market based on his performance over the past two years. If Walker says no and is cut, that means five years of bonus acceleration _ more than $9 million _ hits the books, joining the $7 million of Wilson and $5.8 million already in the books credited to Hall. If the mass purge is really a possibility, Kelly's original $13 million signing bonus has five pro-rated years remaining at $2,166.666 per year _ or $10,833.330. Huff has three years of $2,140,000.00 _ another $6.42 million. Sands could cost $2 million in bonus acceleration. As the Raiders attempt to put their books together by the free agent deadline Thursday at 9 p.m. (midnight East Coast time), it will be interesting to see which players stay, which ones go and which ones decide taking less is their best option. To see Davis holding players as accountable as the coaches is a positive sign, and those in the personnel department who pushed these signings the hardest could also be held responsible.
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