Oakland Raiders: 5 Moves to improve in 2019 offseason
By Cory Kinnan
Trade Kelechi Osemele
Package him and a pick for another player (no spoilers here), or just straight up seek some assets for the 29-year old guard. Showing Kelechi Osemele the door via trade would free up over $10 million in cap space, and while the team may not need it now (again no spoilers) we could see an influx of players heading to the Bay Area via trade.
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After signing a five-year, $58 million extension after the 2015 season, the Raiders now have the freedom to move Osemele without eating any dead money three years into the deal. In 2018, Osemele rated as a below average guard according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), scoring a measly 53.7. Players who perform below average do not deserve a base salary that hovers around $11 million per year.
While the offensive line is clearly lacking in Oakland, and scrapping Osemele would not make that any better, the opportunity to get assets out of him now before he turns 30 and the risk of his play further declining would be a win for Jon Gruden and the Raiders.
The team is a few years away from competing anyway, so why keep a soon to be 30-year old around when the Raiders will not be ready to compete until he is over the hill?
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