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Oakland Raiders: Reggie McKenzie making championship level moves

By Philip Robinson III

ALAMEDA, CA - JANUARY 16: Oakland Raiders new head coach Jack Del Rio (C) holds a jersey as he poses for a photograph with Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie (L) and Raiders owner Mark Davis (R) during a news conference on January 16, 2015 in Alameda, California. The Oakland Raiders announced the hiring of Jack Del Rio as their new head coach. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
ALAMEDA, CA - JANUARY 16: Oakland Raiders new head coach Jack Del Rio (C) holds a jersey as he poses for a photograph with Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie (L) and Raiders owner Mark Davis (R) during a news conference on January 16, 2015 in Alameda, California. The Oakland Raiders announced the hiring of Jack Del Rio as their new head coach. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) /
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In locking up Derek Carr and Gabe Jackson, Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie is making moves like a champion.

Winning the offseason is paramount for any team looking to navigate the long treacherous road to the Super Bowl. How do you win an offseason? There are a variety of ways to winning in February-July. Sign free agents, scout and draft well, train and coach your guys up, but the upper echelon franchises re-sign their own. That’s what Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie making happen.

Currently, the highest paid player in NFL history, Derek Carr is without a doubt the biggest name to sign on the dotted line. Carr was named the Clutch Performer of the Year in 2016, while also receiving six MVP votes in a season he was unable to complete due to injury.

Modernization of the NFL has metamorphosed the game into a passing and quarterback driven league. Ensuring the first drafted franchise quarterback in team history stays well-paid and protected from the grasp of others was the number one priority. Working a deal with Carr to take a little less to benefit the team was a show of faith in an organization, one that paid off immediately.

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Extending Gabe Jackson’s contract (five years, $56 million) was elemental in securing the interior of Carr’s pass protection corps for years to come. Reinforcing a message to the team: play hard and you will be compensated accordingly. It rewarded the trust Carr had placed in McKenzie to use the money the team saved on his deal and apply it to his friends.

In doing so, McKenzie and the Raiders proved to be a man of his word and an upfront organization. On the set of NFL Network’s Total Access David Carr dished on his brother taking less to sign more players.

"This is what the Raiders kinda promised. “If we can get this done at this number Derek, we can sign Gabe Jackson.” And they did. They went out the next week and signed him."

He continued late on:

"Reggie’s a man of his word, he said that’s what was going to happen, he went out and did it. So, Man, props to you Reggie well done brother."

Keeping your own talent is a skill that requires sound preparation and foresight to stagger contracts to pay your stars and keep the salary cap in order. The salary cap places a premium on cheap labor and drafting quality players.

Paying rookies used to be a nightmare as they would command exorbitant salaries without having played a down. This was a practice which led to the implementation of the rookie salary scale, which serves many purposes. In a piece for Bleacher Report, Nick Kostora breaks down what they are:

"Every rookie entering the league receives a 4-year deal. First round draft picks can have the team pick up a fifth year option. Year one rookie compensation pool. This fancy term refers to a set amount of money that each team must disperse to it’s rookies. It can be distributed however the team wants, but it must go to the rookies."

Three years ago the return to the “Greatness of the Raiders” began in the 2014 NFL Draft. McKenzie shaped the future of his franchise in what might be the greatest draft in franchise history. With Carr and Jackson locked up, the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year, Khalil Mack, is next in line.

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Wide receiving sensation Amari Cooper was selected in the first round of the 2015 draft. Heading into Year 3, Cooper is preparing himself for the breakout year. Cooper is fifth-year option eligible, and won’t be up for a new deal until the Raiders have begun playing in no income-taxed Nevada.

Entering his third season, Mario Edwards Jr has been slowed by injuries, leading to inconsistent production. Without a fifth-year option, he may be eligible for free agency in the same year with Mack.

Making suave football and business decisions, the Raiders won the offseason without having spent a dollar. McKenzie replaced departing free agents with cheaper and better options. Re-signing your own guys is the pinnacle of successful franchises. Identifying talent and cultivating it proves to be difficult enough. To do it while promoting  a familial environment containing unselfish superstars is amazing.

What separates great offseasons from good ones is the richest deal in NFL history was struck as team-offered contract extension. McKenzie and the Raiders have built this thing from the inside out and now that’s how they are re-signing their prized nucleus.

Conflicting reports have come out on whether or not the Raiders can or can’t sign Mack to his own blockbuster deal before the season starts. Without having access to all the financial negotiations, it would be impossible to separate fact from fiction.

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Instead, let’s cite the fifth-year option and remember Mack has two more years of franchise tag eligibility ahead of him. Having technically given him a hefty raise first, why do the Raiders need to let others dictate how they do business. Clearly Reggie McKenzie has got this covered.

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