Las Vegas Raiders

Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Denzel Perryman received a heavy fine from the NFL for a play during a game that wasn't even flagged for a penalty. 

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Perryman was docked $55,000 for an unnecessary roughness/use of helmet hit on Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts in Week 7. 

Fowler noted the figure is the largest known fine for an individual on-field play since 2019. 

The play occurred in the first quarter when Perryman led with his helmet when attempting to tackle Hurts on a rushing play. 

Per Fowler, Perryman's agent, Ron Butler, is appealing the fine. 

NFL teams voted to adopt the use-of-helmet rule in 2018. It's a 15-yard penalty and automatic first down for the offense when flagged. 

Per the NFL football operations site (h/t Fowler), a first-offense fine for use of helmet is $20,600 and a second-offense fine is $41,200. The rulebook doesn't specify how much a third offense costs. 

This isn't the first time Perryman has been fined for illegally using his helmet on a play. As a rookie for the San Diego Chargers in 2015, the league docked him $23,152 for using the crown of his helmet on a tackle during a game against the Raiders on Dec. 24. 

Perryman signed a two-year contract with the Carolina Panthers in March. He was traded to the Raiders on Sept. 1. The 28-year-old leads the team with 91 combined tackles and leads the NFL with 58 solo tackles.    

Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden is suing the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell over the circumstances that resulted in his resignation from the team. 

Gruden's attorney, Adam Hosmer-Henner, told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero the complaint filed in the Eighth Judicial District Court in Clark County, Nevada on Thursday alleges that the league and Goodell "selectively leaked Gruden's private correspondence to the Wall Street Journal and New York Times in order to harm Gruden's reputation and force him out of his job."

NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy provided a statement about the lawsuit to Pelissero: "The allegations are entirely meritless and the NFL will vigorously defend against these claims."

On Oct. 8, Andrew Beaton of the Wall Street Journal reported that Gruden used a racist trope to describe DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association, in a 20111 email to then-Washington Football Team president Bruce Allen. 

Gruden was working as a television analyst for ESPN's Monday Night Football in 2011. 

Three days later, Ken Belson and Katherine Rosman of The New York Times reported on a series of emails from Gruden in which he "casually and frequently unleashed misogynistic and homophobic language over several years to denigrate people around the game and to mock some of the league’s momentous changes."

Gruden resigned as Raiders head coach on Oct. 11 after the New York Times report came out.   

The emails detailed in both reports stemmed from a separate investigation the NFL was conducting into allegations of a toxic workplace culture involving the Washington Football Team. 

Beaton noted Gruden's emails were among 650,000 that were reviewed by the league during the investigation. 

The NFL fined Washington $10 million in July after concluding its review of the organization. 

Despite calls to publicly release the results of the investigation, Goodell told reporters he wouldn't do so in order to protect the anonymity of the people who came forward with the allegations.

Per Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports, the league opted to have lead attorney Beth Wilkinson not provide a written report of her findings in the Washington investigation, instead opting for Goodell "to hear the news through oral reports and verbal findings."

Per ESPN's John Keim, attorneys for multiple former Football Team employees sent a letter to Goodell stating they wanted a written report of the findings and they "would not have participated" in the investigation if they had known no written record was being kept. 

The House Committee on Oversight and Reform announced on Oct. 21 it was seeking information about the investigation and the league's handling of it. 

Gruden was hired as head coach of the Raiders in January 2018. He began his head-coaching career with the organization in 1998, and remained with them for four seasons before being traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the 2001 campaign.    

A Clark County spokesman denied first responders were slow to act in extinguishing the fire caused by the crash involving former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III on Nov. 2.

Tina Tintor died after her Toyota Rav4 was engulfed in flames as a result of the crash. 

"The captain on the scene reported that the vehicle was fully involved in fire upon arrival and the passenger compartment was not survivable for anyone inside," Erik Pappa said Thursday, per ESPN.com.

Pappa's statement came after Ruggs' attorneys claimed in a court filing that firemen waited for around 20 minutes to begin putting out the blaze.

Prosecutors allege Ruggs was traveling at 156 mph seconds before the crash and 127 mph at the time of impact. The collision caused the Rav4's fuel tank to ignite.

Ruggs' blood alcohol level was measured at .161, double the legal limit, following the crash. As a result, he's facing felony counts of driving under the influence of alcohol resulting in death and reckless driving.

His girlfriend, Kiara Je'nai Kilgo-Washington, was riding with him at the time and suffered serious injuries, which led the prosecution to pursue additional felony DUI and reckless driving charges.

He has also been charged with possessing a firearm under the influence, a misdemeanor, after police officers said they found a loaded gun in his vehicle.

Newly-signed Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver DeSean Jackson is ready for a fresh start. The 14-year-old veteran said he would accept any role his new team asks of him.

"I'm not asking to get the ball 100 times. I'm not asking to play 100 percent," Jackson told reporters Wednesday. "Whatever that role is that fits, just let me play it to the best of my ability."

Jackson started the year with the Los Angeles Rams, and after seven games, he requested his release, which the Rams granted on Nov. 2. He signed a $1 million contract with the Raiders after clearing waivers

Jackson is expected to be Las Vegas' deep threat receiver going forward after Henry Ruggs III was released last week. Ruggs was arrested and faces four felony charges and a misdemeanor charge after a car crash that resulted in the death of 23-year-old Tina Tintor and her dog.

Attorneys for former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III were granted a temporary order to seal his medical records related to the Nov. 2 crash that killed one woman in Las Vegas, according to the Associated Press' Ken Ritter. 

Prosecutors have charged Ruggs with two felony counts of driving under the influence of alcohol resulting in death and reckless driving.

Clark County prosecutors allege Ruggs was traveling at 156 mph seconds prior to the crash and had a blood alcohol level of .161 after first responders arrived.

In addition to Tina Tintor, who was killed in the crash, Ruggs' girlfriend Kiara Je'nai Kilgo-Washington, who was a passenger in his vehicle, suffered injuries in the crash. As a result, the 22-year-old is facing separate charges of felony DUI and reckless driving.

Police officers said they discovered a loaded gun in Ruggs' car, which led to a misdemeanor charge of possessing a firearm under the influence.

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said Wednesday that Ruggs could face around 50 years in prison if convicted on all counts.

The Raiders released Ruggs, who they selected with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, on Nov. 2.

The Las Vegas Raiders are reportedly signing wide receiver DeSean Jackson to a $1 million contract for the rest of the 2021 season following his release by the Los Angeles Rams.

Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reported details of the deal Tuesday:

Jackson was released after the Rams failed to find a deal ahead of the NFL trade deadline on Nov. 2. He cleared waivers before signing as a free agent with the Raiders.

The 34-year-old Cal product showed he still possesses game-breaking speed with a 75-yard touchdown catch against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3. He also had a 68-yard grab in a Week 5 clash with the Seattle Seahawks.

Jackson couldn't carve out a consistent target share as part of a passing game that also features Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, Van Jefferson and Tyler Higbee among the options for quarterback Matthew Stafford. He finished with eight catches on 15 targets in seven games

The three-time Pro Bowler hasn't played a high-volume role since being targeted 74 times in 12 games with the Bucs in 2018. His past two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles were derailed by injuries.

He should receive a more steady role with the Raiders, where he'll be the big-play target in three-wide sets alongside Hunter Renfrow and Bryan Edwards.

It's a role that was vacated after the Raiders released Henry Ruggs III, who faces five charges, including four felony counts, related to a car crash that killed a 23-year-old woman, Tina Tintor, and her dog in Las Vegas.

Jackson has recorded 620 catches for 10,877 yards and 57 receiving touchdowns across 167 career games. He's also tallied four rushing TDs and four punt return scores.

The Raiders' next game comes Sunday night when they host the Kansas City Chiefs in a pivotal AFC West matchup.

The Las Vegas Raiders have released Damon Arnette after the cornerback threatened to kill someone (warning: strong language) in an Instagram story and wielded several guns in the video. 

Arnette, 25, was the team's first-round pick in 2020. The Raiders' 2020 draft class has not gone to plan, at least the picks from the early rounds:

The past year has been full of turmoil for the Raiders.

In July, former team president Marc Badain, former CFO Ed Villanueva and former controller Araxie Grant all resigned. Team owner Mark Davis confirmed in October that those departures were based on "accounting irregularities" after the organization overpaid on taxes it likely won't be able to recoup, with Davis hinting the resignations were forced.

Additionally, former head coach Jon Gruden resigned in October after racist, anti-gay and misogynistic emails were uncovered during the NFL's investigation into the Washington Football Team's workplace culture and released publicly by several outlets. Gruden had sent the emails to former WFT president Bruce Allen.

And last week, second-year wideout Henry Ruggs III was arrested and charged with multiple felonies after being involved in a crash that killed a woman and her dog. Prosecutors said Ruggs was driving 156 mph prior to the crash and his blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.

On the field, the Raiders have responded well to the tough circumstances surrounding the team, going 5-3. 

Arnette, 25, has appeared in just 13 games (seven starts) in his two years with the team, posting 29 tackles, three passes defensed and zero interceptions. 

Off the field, he reportedly is facing two lawsuits, one for allegedly causing injury in a 2020 car accident and fleeing the scene and the other for allegedly spitting on a valet employee and poking him in the chest.

He's been on injured reserve since Week 4 with a groin injury.

The Las Vegas Raiders are reportedly signing veteran wide receiver DeSean Jackson, according to multiple reports. 

Here's a look at how the Raiders' updated offensive depth chart should look with Jackson in the fold, per Ourlads:

• QB: Derek Carr, Marcus Mariota
• RB: Josh Jacobs, Kenyan Drake, Peyton Barber, Jalen Richard
• FB: Alec Ingold
• LWR: Zay Jones, Dillon Stoner
• SWR: Hunter Renfrow
• RWR: Bryan Edwards, DeSean Jackson
• TE: Darren Waller, Foster Moreau, Daniel Helm
• LT: Kolton Miller, Brandon Parker
• LG: John Simpson, Jordan Simmons
• C: Andre James, Nick Martin
• RG: Jermaine Eluemunor, Jordan Simmons
• RT: Alex Leatherwood, Jackson Barton

Jackson, 34, appeared in seven games for the Los Angeles Rams this year after signing with the team in the offseason, catching just eight passes for 221 yards and a score. He was cut by the team on Tuesday after the Rams were reportedly unable to find a trade suitor for the veteran wideout, per ESPN's Lindsey Thiry. 

"Obviously it was an experiment that we attempted," Rams general manager Les Snead told reporters after Jackson's release. "It didn't work out as well as we wanted it to, as DeSean wanted it to, as even Sean [McVay] wanted it to, especially those two because they have a relationship that probably goes, it does, I know for a fact, it goes deeper than football. Didn't work out for us and that is why we somewhat wanted to move in this direction and come up with a win-win in this situation."

In Las Vegas, the hope will be that Jackson can be a playmaker down the field for Carr and the Raiders offense. The team lost its best deep threat in Henry Ruggs III after he was released this week following his arrest. 

Ruggs has been charged with multiple felonies after authorities said he crashed into another vehicle, killing the woman inside. Ruggs was allegedly traveling at 156 mph just prior to the crash and his blood alcohol content was more than twice the legal limit.

Jackson will offer the Raiders a speedy wideout still capable of stretching the field, albeit one who has only played 15 games across the past three seasons, largely hampered by injuries. 

But if Jackson can remain healthy, he should be a nice addition for this offense.