Raiders' Smartest Offseason Move, and Its Riskiest Bet

The Raiders’ smartest move of the offseason was an overpay. Las Vegas decided to make Tyler Linderbaum the highest-paid center in the NFL. His $27 million average salary dwarfs Creed Humphrey’s previous high of $18 million. 

But the Raiders enticed Linderbaum to leave behind a better franchise in Baltimore to join a rebuilding effort. The money was likely necessary to land the new center. Linderbaum should play a key role in the Raiders’ revival. 

He is only 26 years old, allowing him to stay in his prime for multiple years while the rest of the roster improves. The Raiders didn’t overspend on a player with just a couple of seasons left of productive play. Linderbaum should be a high-end center for the next half decade. 

He also joins one of the worst position groups on the team. The Raiders’ offensive line was abysmal last season, allowing the most sacks in the NFL while also seeing its running backs average the lowest yards per carry in the league. Getting better up front is a must. 

If the Raiders are going to turn the offense over to Fernando Mendoza, the offensive line needs to hold up.

Ultimately, drafting Mendoza may prove to be the most important move of the offseason. But it isn’t considered a smart move when it was obvious to everyone in the NFL the Raiders would select Mendoza.

Riskiest 

The biggest risk of the offseason was not trading Maxx Crosby. The Raiders did actually trade him once, acquiring two first round picks from Baltimore. But before the trade was official, the Ravens backed out citing a failed physical. 

The Raiders elected to bring Crosby back and not try to trade him again. So far, all sides involved have shown no hard feelings about the canceled trade. But that may change if the Raiders start losing. 

The biggest risk, however, is if Crosby doesn’t perform as a top edge rusher in the NFL or suffers another injury. His trade value would plummet. 

The reason the Raiders tried to trade Crosby was to set up the future. Crosby is 29 years old and might not be a premier edge rusher when the Raiders’ rebuild is complete. Adding two first round picks would have given the Raiders players that align with their timeline. 

Crosby could play well and garner another massive trade haul or prove to be valuable to the Raiders even as he enters his thirties. But any downturn in production or health would give the Raiders a reason to regret their offseason decision. 

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