Overpaying Quarterbacks is Pushing Superstars Away…to Oakland Raiders

oakland raiders overpaying quarterbacks 2015 images

oakland raiders overpaying quarterbacks 2015 images

There is a current trend in the NFL: give the quarterback as much money as possible without worrying about the near future of the franchise. Well, teams that have done this are starting to see the negative side effects of doing so. Dedicating between 10 and 20 percent of a team’s entire salary cap to one player is a recipe for disaster, especially when other big name players reach the end of their contracts. Players in the NFL know what they are worth, and if the team that they are currently with is unable to pay them that then they will find a team that will. For many free agents in 2015, the Oakland Raiders appear to be that team.

For a lot of players, the Raiders are the most attractive team that can pay them what they want. The Raiders have almost $52 million in cap room heading into the 2015 NFL season, joining the Jacksonville Jaguars ($62 million) and the Cleveland Browns ($51.7 million) as the three teams in the league with the most money available to spend this offseason. Both the Jags and Browns are seen as franchises that are simply hot messes, and as a result big names players are leaning towards suiting up for the Raiders in 2015.

Several players have already made it clear that if their current team is unable to give them more money they will seriously consider joining the Raiders including Carolina Panthers defensive lineman Greg Hardy, Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas, and even Dallas Cowboys running back and the 2014 NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray.

The Raiders aren’t exactly a good team—really, along with the Jags and Browns they’ve been the laughingstock of the league for years now. One player deciding to join the Raiders to make a little bit more money won’t help anything; however, if a handful of Pro Bowlers decide to take their talents to Oakland the Raiders could find themselves back in the playoff race for the first time since losing Super Bowl XXXVII to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.