In a way, it was not overly surprising to see Las Vegas Raiders left tackle Kolton Miller skipping on voluntary workouts.
The veteran blindside blocker is heading into training camp with a non-guaranteed salary for the second straight year. The 30-year-old Miller has also combatted injuries in the recent past, missing out on workouts last season and starting the year on the PUP list. With all of these factors coming into play, Miller’s decision becomes less surprising.
However, any time a player sits out is worrying, and there is now reason to believe that the sands are falling from the hourglass that is Miller’s tenure with the team that drafted him.
What is going on between Miller and the Raiders?
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore, Miller’s recent injuries have played a role in his decision to hold out, but that does not make the concern regarding his future with the team go away.
“This is the second straight year that he’s gone into a season with a non-guaranteed salary. I’ve been told that he probably would have [missed voluntary workouts] last year as well, but he was rehabbing this time last year, so it was kind of a moot point,” Bonsignore said.
“I think there is a little bit of a concern that there’s the potential of his days here being on an expiration date, let’s put it that way.”
The most telling development so far has been the fact that the new regime of head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek have yet to start contract negotiations with Miller. With the Raiders having the third-most cap space with over $42 million, that should raise some eyebrows.
“It was made very clear to me [on Wednesday] that no contract talks have begun,” Bonsignore added. “People that I talked to in the NFL say, ‘Look, the Raiders have a lot of cap space and the fact that contract talks haven’t started yet…what does that tell you about what they may be thinking about Kolton Miller moving forward?’”
Miller would not be the only major contributor from the 2024 Raiders to exit, with linebacker Robert Spillane, safety Tre’Von Moehrig and slot cornerback Nate Hobbs all going elsewhere in free agency.
If Miller is put on the trade block, the New England Patriots make sense as a potential landing spot. For replacements, both of the top offensive tackle prospects in Thursday’s draft in LSU’s Will Campbell and Missouri’s Armand Membou have been linked to the Raiders.
How the draft plays out will be the most telling sign yet of where the Raiders stand with Miller.
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