Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders have won their appeal to reinstate their 2021 sixth-round draft pick, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

The organization was initially docked its sixth-round pick in November after violating the NFL's COVID-19 protocols. 

Per Pelissero, the Raiders were fined $800,000 for violations during the 2020 season.

The news comes amid the New Orleans Saints' forfeiting their sixth-round pick in 2022 and receiving a $700,000 fine for violating protocols in 2020, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The Raiders will keep the pick at No. 200 overall and will have eight draft picks this year, per Josh Dubow of the Associated Press.

Las Vegas had several incidents that required escalating punishments during the year, including Derek Carr, Darren Waller and eight other players attending a charity event without masks.

Head coach Jon Gruden was also fined for not properly wearing his mask during games.

At one point, the entire starting offensive line was placed on the reserve/COVID list due to close contact with offensive tackle Trent Brown, who had tested positive for COVID-19.

Thursday was a rough day for fantasy football players who have Josh Jacobs on their teams in dynasty leagues.

After all, the Las Vegas Raiders backfield will be a bit more crowded after ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the AFC West team signed Kenyan Drake to a two-year, $11 million deal that could be worth up to $14.5 million with incentives.

Frankly, this was a blow to the fantasy value of both running backs.

Drake was the primary ball-carrier for the Arizona Cardinals last season and finished with a solid 955 rushing yards, 137 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns (all on the ground). It was a notable follow-up to his second-half breakout in 2019 when he tallied 643 rushing yards, 171 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in just eight games for the Cardinals after they acquired him from the Miami Dolphins.

Had the Alabama product signed somewhere without a No. 1 running back already in place, the 27-year-old could have been a reliable fantasy weapon in 2021.

Instead, he will split carries at best with Jacobs, who was a Pro Bowler in 2020 with 1,065 rushing yards, 238 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.

Devontae Booker was the change-of-pace back for the Raiders last season with 93 carries and 17 receptions, but it is difficult to envision Drake playing that small of a role given the amount of resources the team has  invested in him with this contract.

That means fewer carries for Jacobs than his 273 in 2020 and a hit to his fantasy value. The same goes for Drake's 239 carries last year in Arizona.

A true backfield split isn't the only concern for fantasy players, as the Raiders will be without three starters on the offensive line after trading away center Rodney Hudson, tackle Trent Brown and guard Gabe Jackson.

Dominant fantasy seasons from Jacobs or Drake likely are not in the cards at this point.

The Las Vegas Raiders found some support for Josh Jacobs on the ground.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported the Raiders agreed to a two-year, $11 million contract with Kenyan Drake. The running back can earn up to $14.5 million based on unspecified incentives.

Prior to his arrival, Las Vegas had just under $14.1 million in available salary-cap space, per Spotrac.

Drake will immediately become the No. 2 option in the running game behind Jacobs.

Raiders Offense Depth Chart

• QB: Derek Carr, Marcus Mariota, Nathan Peterman, Kyle Sloter
• RB: Josh Jacobs, Kenyan Drake, Jalen Richard, Theo Riddick
• FB: Alec Ingold
• TE: Darren Waller, Foster Moreau, Derek Carrier, Nick O'Leary, Nick Bowers
• WR: Henry Ruggs III, Zay Jones, Marcell Ateman, Trey Quinn
• WR: Bryan Edwards, Keelan Doss
• WR: Hunter Renfrow, John Brown 
• LT: Kolton Miller, Brandon Parker, Jaryd Jones-Smith
• LG: John Simpson, Erik Magnuson
• C: Andre James
• RG: Denzelle Good, Lester Cotton
• RT: Sam Young, Kamaal Seymour

Depth chart via Ourlads

Jacobs is coming off his first Pro Bowl nod, running for 1,065 yards and 12 touchdowns while catching 33 passes for 238 yards. His yards per carry fell from 4.8 to 3.9, but that might be more the result of an offensive line that Pro Football Focus' Ben Linsey ranked 24th in the league.

That raises obvious questions about whether Las Vegas needed to make this kind of investment in another running back.

Drake enjoyed a strong year-and-a-half with the Arizona Cardinals, running for 1,598 yards and 18 touchdowns in 23 games. Over his five-year career, he has also posted 169 receptions for 1,244 yards and six scores.

Still, the 27-year-old hasn't been an elite pass-catcher out of backfield, thus making it difficult to envision him as the perfect aerial complement to Jacobs.

The money the Raiders are giving Drake is also money they won't be able to use on their offensive line, which lost Trent Brown, Rodney Hudson and Gabe Jackson this offseason.

Perhaps head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock have something up their sleeves, because otherwise Las Vegas' offseason business hasn't made a ton of sense.

The Las Vegas Raiders and running back Kenyan Drake agreed to a two-year, $11 million contract Thursday.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the deal could be worth up to $14.5 million. 

The 27-year-old played the 2020 season under the $8.5 million transition tag after recording 817 yards and eight touchdowns in 2019 during a season split between the Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins. He recorded 955 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground in 2020, adding 25 receptions for 137 yards. 

Never given an opportunity to be a full-time lead back in Miami, Drake showed he could handle the full workload in Arizona. While his second-half breakout in 2019 didn't portend a star turn last season, Drake is still an effective back who kept the chains moving despite the Cardinals' shaky offensive line.

Chase Edmunds split carries with Drake for much of the season and could be in line for a larger role in 2021.

The Raiders signing Drake is a bit of a strange move given the presence of Josh Jacobs, a 2020 Pro Bowler who has topped 1,000 yards each of his first two seasons. The Raiders invested a first-round pick in Jacobs just two years ago, and he's mostly lived up to the billing as a solid three-down back. 

Devontae Booker received 93 carries behind Jacobs last season, and it's possible Drake plays a similar role in 2021. However, paying $5-plus million (at minimum) for less than 100 carries seems like a less-than-optimal use of resources. The Raiders could have drafted a spell back in Day 3 next month who could have done the same job at a much smaller cost.

It would seem the Raiders may wind up having something closer to a 50-50 split next season at running back. 

The Las Vegas Raiders plan to offload Marcus Mariota by trading or releasing him if he doesn't accept a pay cut to $3 million ahead of the 2021 NFL season, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported the veteran quarterback "believes he has options" elsewhere and will likely decline any cut to his $10.7 million salary for 2021.

Las Vegas signed the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner to an incentive-laden two-year contract last offseason.

The team intended for him to back up Derek Carr and potentially take over as the starter if Carr struggled, not unlike how Ryan Tannehill overtook Mariota for the starting job on the Tennessee Titans in 2019.

The 27-year-old made one appearance for the Raiders. He entered an eventual 30-27 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, finishing 17-of-28 for 226 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also ran for 88 yards and a touchdown on nine carries.

The Titans selected Mariota with the second overall pick in the 2015 draft but moved on for a reason. For his career, he has averaged 209.9 yards per game and completed 62.9 percent of his passes.

Even if a creative offensive coordinator can make use of his mobility, Mariota doesn't figure to be a good No. 1 option at quarterback.

Having said that, he might command more than the $3 million the Raiders apparently want him to accept.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Chicago Bears gave Andy Dalton a one-year, $10 million deal, while Tyrod Taylor received a one-year contract worth up to $12.5 million from the Houston Texans.

The Las Vegas Raiders have reportedly made another deal on a busy Wednesday.   

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the team traded offensive lineman Gabe Jackson to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft. 

The Raiders have turned their offensive line inside out, reportedly trading Pro Bowler Rodney Hudson to the Arizona Cardinals after dealing Trent Brown to the New England Patriots. They cut Richie Incognito but re-signed him Wednesday, and they also nailed down a return for Denzelle Good. 

NFL reporter Josina Anderson said March 3 that the team informed Jackson he would be released, but Schefter reported earlier Wednesday that he was the subject of trade discussions.  

Jackson, whom the Raiders drafted in the third round in 2014, has two seasons remaining on a five-year, $56 million extension he inked in 2017. He has appeared in 100 percent of the Raiders' offensive snaps in 2015 and 2016 and 98 percent in 2020, never appearing in fewer than 11 games. 

His consistency and durability could be highly valued by a prominent member of the Seahawks. 

Quarterback Russell Wilson has expressed his disappointment with the team's offensive line, saying he was "frustrated with getting hit too much" (h/t Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune). Wilson has been sacked 394 times in his nine seasons in the league—more than any other quarterback in that same time span. But despite his frustration, he "wants to play in Seattle," Schefter said. 

Wilson's 47 sacks in 2020 ranked third-most in the league, and he led his peers with 48 sacks in 2019. 

Before any transactions, Seattle's offensive line was already set to look a bit different, since Mike Iupati retired and center Ethan Pocic is a free agent. But the addition of Jackson to the group is an encouraging sign that the team is willing to do what it takes to keep from losing Wilson.

The San Francisco 49ers surely expected Solomon Thomas to anchor their defensive line when they selected him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft, but that never materialized.

He will reportedly look to jumpstart his career with the Las Vegas Raiders.

On Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported the Raiders signed Thomas to a one-year deal that is worth up to $5 million.

Thomas never fulfilled expectations in San Francisco and was once considered a trade possibility. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported the NFC West team was "shopping" Thomas in advance of the 2019 draft. He suggested the trade talks "could be an indication" it was looking toward the litany of talented pass-rushers in the draft, including Ohio State's Nick Bosa and Alabama's Quinnen Williams.

They ultimately drafted Bosa but did not trade Thomas at the time.

There wasn't as much room left for Thomas along the defensive front with players such as Bosa, Arik Armstead, Javon Kinlaw and Dee Ford, especially after a decrease in production from his rookie to second, third and fourth seasons.

The Stanford product flashed his potential in 2017 with 41 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, three sacks and a fumble recovery, although he followed up with 31 tackles, three tackles for loss and one sack in 2018. Those numbers were far from what the 49ers were looking for when they used a top-three pick on him.

In 2019, Thomas posted 21 tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks. He played just two games in 2020 because of a torn ACL.

The Raiders can take solace knowing he is just 25 years old. There is still time for Thomas to turn things around, especially following the proverbial change of scenery after he took a backseat production-wise in San Francisco's defensive line rotation.

If Thomas can build on what he showed as a rookie and put the last three years behind him, he can still be a productive pass-rusher for Las Vegas.

The Las Vegas Raiders have agreed to terms with Richie Incognito, just more than a week after NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported they would cut the left guard due to salary cap issues.

Incognito broke Wednesday's news himself:

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero added that the one-year deal was worth $2.6 million, with $1.1 million guaranteed. 

The four-time Pro Bowler sat out the 2018 season but returned in 2019, joining the Raiders for 12 starts. But in 2020, he was hindered by an Achilles injury that required surgery after two starts. 

When Rapoport first reported that the team planned to part ways with the 37-year-old, he noted that Incognito was "100 percent healthy." 

Before his release, the veteran was riding a two-year, $14 million extension that he signed in December 2019.

In a return to the Raiders, Incognito will suit up again with Denzelle Good, who the team re-signed to a two-year deal earlier Wednesday. The reported deals for both players come as the Raiders spent much of the early offseason ripping apart their offensive line, with Trent Brown headed to the New England Patriots and Pro Bowler Rodney Harrison being released. 

The return of Incognito provides stability on the offensive line, though it may only be temporary, because he'll be celebrating his 38th birthday in July, while Good turned 30 last week. 

The Las Vegas Raiders reportedly agreed to a trio of signings on Monday afternoon, securing players on both sides of the ball. 

According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins will return on a one-year deal. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said the team will keep offensive guard Denzelle Good on a two-year contract, after reporting that the team is expected to re-sign wideout Zay Jones.

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo later added that Good's deal was worth $8.36 million with $3.19 million guaranteed. The Houston Chronicle's Aaron Wilson said Hankins was on the books for $3.5 million, split equally between a signing bonus and guaranteed salary. 

Terms of the deal for Jones weren't immediately available. 

The 25-year-old is getting another chance with the team after a down year in his second season with the franchise, where he was dealt in 2019 from the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a fifth-round pick. The East Carolina product was a regular contributor during his time in Buffalo, making 27 starts through 36 games in parts of three seasons, but he wasn't as productive with the Raiders. 

In 2019, he posted 147 yards in 10 appearances with the team, then went on to grab 154 yards and a touchdown in 2020, when he was only on the field for 27 percent of offensive snaps. 

He'll join a wideout corps that includes Henry Ruggs III, Bryan Edwards and Hunter Renfrow along with John Brown, who the team reportedly agreed to terms with on Wednesday. 

Along the offensive line, the Raiders have reportedly traded three-time Pro Bowl center Rodney Hudson after trading Trent Brown and then re-signed Richie Incognito after releasing him earlier this month. Good is a rare player who was a part of the unit in 2020. He was hardly used with the Indianapolis Colts through his first three seasons but emerged over the past two seasons with the Raiders, missing just one regular season game. 

Hankins has also blossomed into a key cog on the defensive line since joining the Raiders in 2018. He has missed just one regular season game over the past three seasons and appeared on more than 61 percent of defensive snaps in each of the last two seasons, posting 48 tackles and four quarterback hits in 2020. 

Wide receiver John Brown has agreed to a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, according to SiriusXM NFL Radio's Adam Caplan. Caplan reported the pact is for one season and worth $3.75 million with "upside" that could get the deal to $5.5 million.

The Houston Texans made a late push to sign Brown but fell short, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. In Las Vegas, the veteran pass-catcher will likely be tabbed to replace Nelson Agholor, who agreed to a two-year, $26 million contract with the New England Patriots, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Brown, who turns 31 years old on April 3, caught 33 passes for 458 yards and three touchdowns in an injury-shortened 2020 season.

The Pittsburg State product missed games in Weeks 5 and 7 because of a knee injury and four games from Weeks 12 to 15 with an ankle issue. He then sat Week 16 after being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Brown played just nine games one year after starring for Buffalo in 2019 when he had 72 catches for 1,060 yards and six touchdowns.

After the 2020 season, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic predicted he would be released:

"Brown remains a player [quarterback Josh Allen], [general manager Brandon Beane] and coach Sean McDermott all love having around in the locker room, but substantial cap savings, growing concern over his effectiveness and a developing internal replacement in Gabriel Davis are all point toward another direction. Keeping Brown for the final year of his contract seems to be a luxury."

The Bills saved over $7.9 million in 2021 cap space with the move, per Sal Capaccio of WGR 550 SportsRadio.

When healthy, Brown is an explosive playmaker. He has averaged 14.8 yards per catch during his career, and 22 of his touchdowns have come from 15 or more yards, per Pro Football Reference. Eleven of them have occurred from 30 or more yards out.

We'll see if Brown can return to form in his eighth NFL season. He'll be joining his fourth team after spending four years with the Arizona Cardinals, one season with the Baltimore Ravens and two campaigns with the Bills.