Oakland Raiders: Examining next steps in Donald Penn contract dispute
Trading or Releasing Penn
Despite his age and the injury, Penn plays a premium position and holds trade value if he’s capable of playing at a level close to years past. The 12th-year veteran isn’t worth an early-round pick anymore, but Oakland could dangle him on the block to see who bites with a decent offer for an offensive tackle coming off back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons.
Unfortunately, we’re going to see injuries during the preseason. If any one of the other 31 teams loses a left tackle for an extended period, Penn’s trade value spikes as a viable fill-in option assuming he’s able to fully recover from injury.
The decision to release Penn should list as a last resort. The veteran could refuse to accept a salary reduction or restructure his deal. Miller may impress the coaching staff in action. Lastly, teams may not have a pressing need at left tackle. In this scenario, the veteran likely becomes a summer cap casualty, which is a huge turnaround from earning a pay raise 11 months ago.
For those asking how Penn’s situation correlates to the push to pay defensive end Khalil Mack, it seems like an unrelated event. As Gehlken reported, the left tackle came into the year with a $6 million base salary and $3 million already guaranteed. The Raiders can only touch the remaining $3 million and escape any bonuses plus incentives that would equal to $5.4 million in savings if they release him, per Over the Cap.
An approximate $5.4 million doesn’t add much toward Mack’s potential contract when he’s in position to sign a massive deal that exceeds $20 million. Keep in mind, the elite pass-rusher will make $13.85 million, which is guaranteed for injury because of fifth-year option terms.
If Mack’s agent and the Raiders stood that close in negotiations, encouraging reports would’ve emerged about the player and team moving toward a deal—similar to the Los Angeles Rams moving close to a middle ground with defensive tackle Aaron Donald, per Los Angeles Daily News reporter Rich Hammond:
Les Snead said the Rams and Aaron Donald are “in the same zip code, area code, ballpark” when it comes to contract talks. “Zip code usually means you’re close but you still haven’t agreed,” Snead said.
— Rich Hammond (@Rich_Hammond) August 8, 2018
Instead, we’ve heard the exact opposite between Mack’s camp and the Raiders, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport:
Leaving Napa, I’m told there is no present offer from the #Raiders to star pass-rusher Khalil Mack and there has been no contract talks with Mack’s camp since February.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 31, 2018