Raiders watching as price tag jumps up on franchise stalwart

In sports, waiting on contract negotiations can prove to be a costly practice.

Whether for reasons of being overly patient or playing hardball, the longer a team waits to secure a player, the riskier the negotiations become. Some teams are more eager to wanting to get a deal done, and they are willing to give a player what they ask for. While not all contract demands are the same, the teams that get deals done early do so with the understanding that they will not be caught looking at a more exorbitant rate when the market resets.

The Las Vegas Raiders did well to avoid that with Maxx Crosby but, on the flip side, another longtime player could end up pricing himself out.

The Raiders are going to have to suffer the consequences of falling behind at a key positional market.

Unlike the front office, Raiders left tackle Kolton Miller has to be loving the news of extensions for offensive tackles over the past week.

On July 21, the Green Bay Packers signed a four-year, $88 million contract extension with tackle Zach Tom. The deal kickstarted more negotiations, and two more major dominoes in the offensive tackle market have fallen. The Los Angeles Chargers locked up Rashawn Slater to a four-year extension worth $114 million on Sunday, followed by the Indianapolis Colts signing Bernhard Raimann to a four-year, $100 million extension the following day.

Needless to say, the Raiders are now getting a clear look at what it will take to keep Miller in silver and black.

The saving grace for the Raiders is Miller will likely not be looking to reset the market once again, due to him being 30 in September and not being an All-Pro caliber player. That said, he remains one of the most consistent offensive tackles in the league, finishing last season as the 14th-best at his position according to Pro Football Focus. Miller’s next contract is guaranteed to cross the $20 million annual mark, regardless of whichever team is the one signing the deal.

If the Raiders still see Miller as part of their long-term plan, getting him under contract would be prudent before another team gets the chance to raise the market value again.