Players the Raiders Should Trade to Shed Salary This Offseason

The then Oakland Raiders (now Las Vegas Raiders) shocked a lot of people this year by coming just short of an appearance in the 2019-20 NFL Playoffs, a goal most thought they wouldn't even approach. However, that's not to say the Raiders don't have a lot of holes to fill if they want to make the postseason next season.

Yes, Las Vegas projects to have roughly $50 million in cap space heading into this offseason, but if they want to land an elite pass-rusher like Jadeveon Clowney and still find some productive players at a cheaper price, they will need to make every available dollar count.

With that in mind, let's take a look at three players the Raiders could trade away to create even more cap space heading into free agency.

3. Tahir Whitehead, LB

Tahir Whitehead 2020 Cap Hit: $7.3 Million
Tahir Whitehead currently owns the seventh-highest salary on the Raiders' roster heading into the final year of his contract with Las Vegas. Whitehead led the team with 108 combined tackles last season, but with a strong LB free-agent class on the market, the Raiders could find similar levels on production for a much more affordable price. Jon Bostic, who made only $895k last season and recorded 105 total tackles and six QB hits, could be a great replacement option.

2. Gabe Jackson, G

Gabe Jackson 2020 Cap Hit: $9.6 Million
Gabe Jackson is entering the third year of his contract extension and set to earn more than $9.5 million next season. Jackson finished last season strong after missing the final four games of 2018 and first five games of 2019 with an elbow injury, but trading Jackson wouldn't likely be due to poor performance as much as it would be cost effective. And without any second-round picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Raiders could look to move Jackson for some some draft capital between their No. 19 and No. 80 overall picks, which would also land them in prime territory to snag one of the top guards in this year's draft like Georgia's Solomon Kindley or maybe even Shane Lemieux if he falls into the early second round.

1. Derek Carr, QB

Derek Carr 2020 Cap Hit: $21.5 Million
After an up-and-down career with the Raiders, rumors have been swirling that the team could be interested in moving on from starting quarterback Derek Carr. With three years remaining on his deal, and set to make $18.9 million in 2020, Las Vegas could be looking to deal Carr and grab some additional draft capital, especially with potential veteran QB-needy suitors like the Los Angeles Chargers and Indianapolis Colts.

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David Hayes is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, David Hayes also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username DavidWHayes. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.