Justin Tuck signs with Oakland Raiders
New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck (91) against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
The Oakland Raiders and New York Giants worked out several players from the opposite team, and the biggest name was definitely Giants DE Justin Tuck. After bringing him in for a workout yesterday along with LaMarr Woodley (for some odd reason, as he doesn’t even if their scheme), the Oakland Raiders have decided to sign Tuck to a two-year deal worth $11 million, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
It was always a two-team race for Tuck, but the Raiders have prevailed over the Giants after I predicted that the Giants would end up signing him once he realized that there wasn’t a better market for him. Tuck hit the free agent waters after deciding to test his value in an effort to get one last payday at the age of 30, and he decided against continuing his success and leadership role with the Giants. He’s getting a nice chunk of cash from the Raiders over the next two seasons, and he texted Schefter saying that the deal is “done”.
Tuck had a very nice 2013 season with 11 sacks, 63 tackles, and four passes defended, and he’s a solid pass rusher who plays very stout run defense. He isn’t as good as Lamarr Houston, who left the Raiders for the Chicago Bears after they made no attempt to re-sign him, but he’s also much cheaper. The Raiders have been far too quiet this offseason and have largely done an awful job under Reggie McKenzie, who was supposed to be aggressive this year with plenty of cap space and massive holes littered across the roster. This looks like a good signing on paper and was one of the Raiders had to make, but I don’t think it’s a enough; McKenzie still needs to snag some more solid players without grossly overpaying, as he nearly did with Rodger Saffold before the deal was nixed.