There has been much talk this NFL offseason of the need for the Oakland Raiders to add weapons on offense to aid in the development of young franchise quarterback Derek Carr.
New Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio, perhaps signaling a philosophical change that's sorely been needed in Oakland, has, instead of focusing on a shiny new pass-catching toy as his big inaugural offseason addition, zeroed in on a healthy upgrade along the offensive line that will protect Carr for the next half-decade and possibly beyond.
Rodney Hudson, former Kansas City Chiefs center, has reportedly agreed to a five-year, $44.5 million deal to join the Raiders.
"Raiders have a basic agreement in place with Kansas City's Rodney Hudson to make the soon-to-be-ex-Chief the highest paid center in the NFL," tweeted Albert Breer of NFL.com.
"Source says cap-rich Raiders are front-loading Hudson's deal ($8.9M/year over 5) big-time, in an effort to work towards the minimum spend," Breer added.
As Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports noted, Hudson, a coveted offensive free agent, had turned down a $6 million per year offer from Kansas City during the season. The Chiefs and head coach Andy Reid were intent on keeping the big center.
The allure of the open market and joining the Raiders though, was too enticing, it seems.
As for the Raiders, Del Rio and GM Reggie McKenzie had been expected by many to let incumbent starter Stefen Wisniewski leave during the NFL free agency period. Wisniewski is a good player, but Hudson provides a massive upgrade.
The move for Hudson may also just be the beginning for the Raiders, who entered the offseason with the second-most cap space in the NFL.
"Raiders hoped to land several top free agents and need to spend to get closer to threshold of 89percent to the cap from '13-'16," tweeted La Canfora.
They've still got plenty of money to spend and holes to fill. Del Rio and McKenzie may just be getting started.
