Raiders release veteran just months after paying him a bunch of money
The Las Vegas Raiders appear very confident in their running back room after releasing Kenyan Drake. We knew coming into this season that two of the Raiders' running backs would be Josh Jacobs and rookie Zamir White. Some thought that Drake would get that third spot. Unfortunately, they were wrong. According to Tom Pelissero of […]
The Las Vegas Raiders appear very confident in their running back room after releasing Kenyan Drake.
We knew coming into this season that two of the Raiders' running backs would be Josh Jacobs and rookie Zamir White. Some thought that Drake would get that third spot. Unfortunately, they were wrong.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Raiders released Drake Monday afternoon.
Drake will likely get picked up by another team very soon just based on the talent he has shown in the past. However, after training camp and preseason, it was apparent he wouldn't make the team. It's surprising, to say the least, but this is a business and the Raiders are making the right choice.
After seeing what White can do, as he showed us in the preseason, they released he would be the running back two. Then Brittain Brown had a very good two-game stretch during the preseason, one that solidified his spot as the running back three.
At the same time however, the entire process with Drake has been odd. The Raiders paid him $5.5 million back in March, signaling -at the time at least- that Drake would be on the roster come September.
One would think the Raiders would've released Drake before the March 18 due date. His $2.5 million base salary was also guaranteed that day, which brings Drake's total payout to $8 million, currently. If Drake signs with a new team, his 2022 salary with that team will be removed from the $2.5 million the Raiders currently owe.
Either way, the Raiders paid out at least $5.5 million to a guy who won't play a meaningful snap for them in 2022.
When adding in this factor, it's easy to see the Raiders are very confident in what their running back room currently looks like.
Featured Image Via Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports
