So much tends to be made of a team’s free-agent signings in mid-March, which sometimes holds up. It’s worth noting that oftentimes the best offseason moves don’t take place until long after the smoke from the initial rush has cleared. Such was the case with the Raiders last offseason, when head coach Jon Gruden and
Raiders’ best free-agent signing last offseason didn’t happen till late May
I think having Mayock is important when it comes to these signings. Someone Gruden can talk with and bounce ideas off of. I don’t think Gruden had any trust in RM.
It also helps that the player feels he has something to prove. RI did just that. The hope is that his pro bowl type play continues and even improves where possible.
He didn’t have any slip-ups at all last year, so that bodes well for the next two years. However, the risk is greater now, given Incognito isn’t being paid $1 million per season but 6.5 times as much, with plenty of that guaranteed. Still, this turned out to be a spectacular signing, especially on the heels of giving up on Kelechi Osemele.
I must hold my hand up as somebody that didn’t like the Incognito signing last year but boy, did he deliver! For my money, he should have been All Pro last year – look at his play throughout the year against quality opponents. The man was a beast every week…. great signing, Mr Mayock.
It’s a bit much to expect, but the bar has been set high for finding low cost, high impact veterans…. can you find us an edge rusher to act as a mentor for all of our young guys sometime between now and the draft so we can say “thanks” again?
Great job in FA so far…. still smiling over Littleton & Kwiatkowski and intrigued by Agolohor…..
Incognito did well last year, exceeding expectations since the Raiders emphasized his mental health. Mayock mentioned that when him and Ritchie met regularly, they didn’t even talk football. They talked about life. That has to be the area of focus for Ritchie going forward.
Nonetheless, Ritchie is up in years and Raiders have to be prepared for a contingency plan if he gets injured. Probability says he will.
That’s a downer Ghost, lol.
I have to believe that is why Good was brought back. He can backup both G spots and if Gabe is sent packing he likely steps in as the starter.
I also have been very impressed with James, and very happy he is back. He could legitimately backup at all 5 spots in a pinch, but the inside 3 without much issue. He went from OT to OG then to C in his rookie campaign after going undrafted. Another fantastic signing.
Andre James? He did really well filling in for Hudson. He can play anywhere along the line if needed.
Count me in as one of those who did not like the Incognito signing. While he did prove me wrong and he seems to be a pretty good guy in the locker room (anyone see his recent tweets over the last couple of days/weeks?), I worry that his mental state may deteriorate now that he has a second year with the team. Let’s hope he proves me wrong again.