If the Raiders want to replace starting right guard Gabe Jackson, they can do so in a matter of seconds, without any worry about finding a replacement or taking a salary-cap hit of any kind. However, that isn’t the intention for now, according to Raiders general manager Mike Mayock, even though a report surfaced before
Gabe Jackson remains Raiders’ starting right guard … for now
I believe that Raiders need to cut Jackson before June 1 to avoid the cap hit.
Here’s the question, do you risk removing a key member of your line given the strong possibility of an abbreviated off season to prepare? Teams like the Raiders need to assess that risk. Simpson is still rookie and it will take him time to get up to speed. Good, Devey or Kush might be able to take over for Jackson but still a risk.
Good points. That’s why I mentioned that the Raiders have the benefit of knowing that Good and Devey can be counted upon, if needed.
One of the Raiders earliest off season moves was to get Good signed to a deal. An excellent piece of business as he has shown he can play in the NFL and it gives the team total flexibility at the position. Drafting Simpson (one of several excellent picks after Day 1) after other moves at G in free agency leaves Mayock holding all the aces over Jackson in what looks to be a very strong interior line group.
I for one am a huge fan of the thinking behind this and wish we had the same sort of depth at Tackle. You can never have too many quality O linemen!
In a perfect world, Gabe would have been traded for a low pick in the draft but teams can obviously see that the Raiders are moving on at Guard and will need to cut Jackson to get out from under his over priced deal. In that context it’s not a surprise nobody dealt for him.
For me it’s just a matter of when he goes (before 1 June) and where he ends up….hope it’s not in the AFC West.
I understand the finances of any transaction involving Jackson, but it is curious that he has not restructured his deal (or been asked to do so) to make it more cap friendly. I do worry that, as Ghost set out, removing a piece of the OLine in such a weird off season may not be helpful. Remember, this offense is once again going to be expected to produce and in order to do so, needs to keep Carr clean and upright as much and as long as possible.
The last thing as a fan I want to hear this year is more excuses as to why the offense is not meeting expectations.
It’s possible that he was approached about restructuring his deal and might have balked, or asked for some guaranteed money in return.
Unless we sign another high priced FA or make a trade for a player like Rodgers, Gabe’s money is accounted for and we don’t necessarily need the cap space.
As of right now, if he is fully healthy as Mayock says, there is no need to part with a Pro Bowl quality player for little to no compensation.
If we were really set on getting rid of him, I have to imagine that one team in the nfl would have given us a 7th rounder for him.