Raiders are set to have a pre-draft visit with a player at an exclusive position that they just signed in free agency
The Raiders just signed kicker Matt Gay in free agency, but could still end up drafting a kicker.
The Las Vegas Raiders made significant moves in free agency, focusing on key positions on both offense and defense—especially defense. They also made surprising roster decisions, such as not bringing back former kicker Daniel Carlson, one of the last remaining players from the Oakland Raiders era.
General manager John Spytek elected not to bring Carlson back and instead signed kicker Matt Gay, whom he helped draft with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, some still believe the Raiders may draft a kicker with one of their 10 draft picks. They have shown an interest in one so far.
According to Aaron Wilson, the Raiders are hosting a private workout with former New Mexico Lobos kicker Luke Drzewiecki. This is considered a top-30 visit and pre-draft visit for the Raiders. So, they must be interested in taking a kicker, whether it’s in the draft or even an Undrafted Free Agent Rookie.
Raiders could enter training camp with a kicker battle
Gay signed a $4.25 million deal for one year with the Washington Commanders last season, and eventually ended up playing for the San Francisco 49ers. His deal with the Raiders is a one-year contract worth $1.6 million, including a $200,000 signing bonus and $1.35 million in guaranteed money. So, a deal that’s easy to cut if Vegas decides to go a different route in the kicker market via the draft.
We have not seen a kicker battle in training camp for the Raiders in some time. If they use a draft pick on a kicker, a competition could occur. Gay’s performance last season included making 13 of 19 field goal attempts (68.4%) and converting all 22 extra-point attempts. His longest field goal was 56 yards, resulting in 61 total points for the season. In comparison, Carlson had a higher field-goal percentage in previous seasons, underscoring why not bringing him back was notable.
Over the last three seasons, Matt Gay has made 80 percent of his field goal attempts, including 48.4 percent from 50 yards or more. In the same period, Carlson has made 84.5 percent of his field goals, including 59 percent from 50 yards or more. These statistics highlight a performance gap in Carlson’s favor.
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