Damarious Randall’s deal with the Raiders went across the NFL transaction wire on Tuesday. The defensive back was the last veteran free-agent addition to get processed by the league and the players union, meaning all of the Silver and Black’s new players are now official.
That gives us a crystal-clear look at the Raiders salary cap situation and where they stand heading into the NFL draft.
The Raiders have $8.128 million in salary-cap space, according to a daily public report issued Thursday morning by the NFL Players Association. That’s a smidge under the roughly $9.4 million OverTheCap.com estimates required to sign their NFL draft class as currently slotted, but certainly not a big deal that won’t have to be addressed until picks start signing in May and June.
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There are plenty of corrections to be made through cutting expendable players -- they still have four veteran quarterbacks on the roster -- or a minor restructure to get under the financial threshold.
The draft could also take care of the issue, especially if the Raiders trade down or end up with few selections than they currently own.
The Raiders were able to add 12 veterans in unrestricted free agents and retained eight through extensions or various contract tenders.
NFL
Restructuring Rodney Hudson’s contract was key to adding this many new folks, as they shuffled his money around to spread out what would’ve been a significant 2020 salary cap hit.
[RELATED: Raiders' 2020 offseason scorecard: Trades, signings, NFL draft picks]
The Raiders would be in a different space had the Eli Apple deal gone through. He was set to sign a one-year deal worth $6 million before the pact fell apart. Randall came aboard after that on a one-year contract worth up to $3.25 million, but it comes with a $1.5 million base salary and a $2.1 million cap hit.
That swap was a win for the on-field product and salary-cap standing, though it intensifies the need to find a cornerback in the NFL draft.