NFL

Gruden: Raiders to be Active in Free Agency

Coach believes free agency has been a successful 'vehicle' for franchise to improve

Getty Images

Building a roster through the draft is the traditional way to improve an NFL team.

And, the Raiders have done that. In 2019, the team’s crop of rookies was among the NFL’s best. Plus, the team has two first-round draft picks in April to add more young talent.

But in 2019, the Raiders also made significant veteran free-agent signings. Offensive tackle Trent Brown, defensive back Lamarcus Joyner, guard Richie Incognito and wide receiver Tyrell Williams all were important additions.

Now, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden says his team again intends to be very active spending money in free agency.

He said the Raiders want to continue to use free agency as “a vehicle” to get better.

"We’re going to try and find some young guys, certainly, in free agency, but we also want to find and address some needs," Gruden said, at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

The Raiders are actually in good position to be active, too. The Raiders rank 11th in the NFL this offseason, with almost $52 million available under the expected salary cap for 2020.

With several needs at wide receiver, linebacker and cornerback, in particular, the Raiders under Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock could be as active in free agency over the next couple of months as they were in 2019.

Contact Us