Oakland Raiders: Rodney Hudson the right move

It appeared towards the start of this week that the Oakland Raiders were going to be the big losers of NFL free agency yet again. Even though they were holding nearly 60 million in cap space, second only to the Jaguars, it seemed that nobody wanted to play for them. They allegedly threw tons of money at Ndamukong Suh, but he looks to be signing with the Dolphins. Then there was the rumor of Randall Cobb being a hot target for them, but he is staying in Green Bay.

They were in the discussion for others as well. Guys like Jeremy Maclin and Julius Thomas look to be signing elsewhere, and it appeared that Oakland would end up being the rich kid on the block that nobody wanted to play with.

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But just when Raider fans hope began to wane, the team looks like it has locked up former Chiefs center Rodney Hudson, per ESPN’S Bill Williamson. The deal appears to be record money for a center in the NFL, with the Raiders offering Hudson 44.5 million over the next five years. At just about 9 million a year, the deal would make Hudson the highest paid center in the NFL, and certainly the highest paid in Raiders history. The move didn’t receive a lot of coverage, as a center being signed usually isn’t that newsworthy. But it was a good move by the Raiders to lock up Hudson with this type of contract.

Even though the money is big for a center, it is a huge upgrade at that position for Oakland, who will undoubtedly be saying goodbye to Raiders 2014 center Stefen Wisniewski. Hudson was rated by Pro Football Focus as the third best center in the NFL as well as the Chiefs best offensive lineman in 2014; with a young quarterback in Derek Carr still learning the ropes in terms of defensive schemes and formations, having an experienced guy like Hudson to help call out protections at the line will only make the Raiders better in 2015.

Hudson is just as durable as he is experienced. Since he became the Chiefs full-time starter in 2013, he hasn’t missed a start over the last two years due to injury. And with an offense like the one Andy Reid has employed as an NFL head coach, which relies heavily on linemen being athletic with screens and quick passing attacks, that type of reliability becomes even more impressive.

With this signing, the Raiders still have a lot of money left over to aggressively attack some other names in the market. Guys like DeMarco Murray and Torrey Smith are still out there, and it is assumed that Oakland will be willing to write the type of checks required to sign them. Some may argue that the Hudson signing was too much money for a center, and that the move smells of desperation after Oakland apparently missed out on some of the big names. But it was the right move given the need, and Hudson isn’t a question mark as he was arguably the best free agent center available.

With Tuesday being the date when NFL free agents can actually sign their deals, the Raiders are still in the driver’s seat in the race to amass big time free agent talent.

Next: Raiders desperately need Amari Cooper

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