NFL: Worst Free-Agent Contracts of 2016
By John Laird
9. OLB Bruce Irvin, Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders decided to give Bruce Irvin a four-year deal that’s worth $37 million with $19 million of that guaranteed. Don’t take this the wrong way, I like where the Raiders head’s are at. Get a solid pass rusher who can take advantage of one on one’s with Khalil Mack wreaking havoc on the other side.
What I don’t like is the money involved. Yes, pass rushers earn a lot of money in today’s NFL, but usually those pass rushers average at least double digit sacks annually. Bruce Irvin’s career high is eight sacks that got his rookie year in the league. Last year he registered 6.5 sacks.
The average number of sacks could have been contributed to play time, scheme, anything you want to validate as an excuse for the former West Virginia Mountaineer. When you play opposite side of Michael Bennett, one of the league’s best pass rushers, those excuses are hard to accept. Not to mention he is a liability when it comes to setting the edge in the run game.
Oakland fell for the trick almost every other team in the NFL falls for, a big name from a winning team. When those players are removed from those winning teams and are all of the sudden expected to come in and help lead a younger team, that could prove to be difficult.
The Raiders are expecting a rotational pass rusher to come in and start full time for $19 million guaranteed. This could prove to be ugly for the silver and black.
Next: Number 8