The rivalry between Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chief is about to intensify even more. Linebacker Derrick Johnson, who spent 13 years of his professional career with the Chiefs, is set to sign a one-year deal with the Raiders. The news was confirmed by the Raiders’ head coach John Gruden on Friday.
“I’ve known Derrick a while — he brings us status at a critical position,” – said Gruden. “He’s got a great history in this league, been productive under a lot of different coaches, different schemes. He understands the AFC West. He certainly understands this rivalry. I’m really excited to add him to our team, to Tahir Whitehead and some of our young linebackers. I think his presence will be very valuable.“
Acquisition of Johnson wasn’t the only move Raiders made in the past couple of days. The team also signed six undrafted rookies on Friday while releasing linebacker Cory James and defensive end Armonty Bryant. According to Gruden, this won’t be all since there will be more roster moves in the coming day.
“We’ve made a lot of moves and that probably means we’re going to make more moves in the coming days,” – said Gruden. “We just want to get better. There’s a strong sense of urgency to get better.”
Kansas City Chief drafted Derrick Johnson in 2005 NFL draft with the 15th overall pick. During his 13 years with the team, Johnson earned four Pro Bowl appearances, alongside First-team All-Pro (2011) and Second-team All-Pro (2015) honors. He played in 15 games in 2017 season and recorded 71 combined tackles. During the offseason Chiefs decided to void the final year of his contract, making him a free agent.
