Once the Oakland Raiders figured out they were no longer in the running for former Broncos tight end and touchdown-machine, Julius Thomas, they quickly set their free agent sights on a second-tier player they had a much more realistic chance of nabbing; Jermaine Gresham.
Gresham, a former first-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals, was far and away the best tight end on the market behind Thomas who wound up signing a five-year, $46 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Once the newest league year kicked off, ESPN's Adam Caplan reported the Raiders and Gresham began to "work toward a deal" with Tuesday the target date for a finalized pact. As the days passed and no new deal was announced, a marriage between the two sides suddenly began to seem much less certain.
Now, the talks between Oakland Gresham may have fallen apart altogether, as Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that negotiations between the sides "are dead for now."
That's bad news for fans of the Raiders and for young Oakland signal-caller, Derek Carr.
Carr, who did enough in 16 games last season to provide the Raiders faithful, GM Reggie McKenzie and new head coach Jack Del Rio with a glimmer of hope that he could be the franchise's next great signal-caller, desperately needs weapons to help him continue on his currently upward trending trajectory.
Missing out on Thomas and receivers Randall Cobb and Jeremy Maclin in free agency hurt - missing out on Gresham would be devastating.
Adding running back Roy Helu and center Rodney Hudson were important moves for Del Rio and McKenzie and both players figure to take on significant roles for the Raiders next season. Lee Smith, a blocking tight end, may not impact the score sheet, but he'll help pave the way for the Oakland backs and assist in keeping Carr upright and healthy.
Options remain available - Michael Crabtree, Dwayne Bowe, Hakeem Nicks - though none that will provide the type of impact the Raiders sorely lack and none of which play the tight end position, and Tafur's wording - "for now" - seems to leave some wiggle room for the two sides to come back and revisit a deal should other available options prove less than appealing.
Still, weapons are needed in Oakland and while the 2015 NFL Draft will most likely provide some answers, depending on rookies to fill major holes on your team is always a questionable and oftentimes treacherous proposition.
