The Oakland Raiders added yet another receiver on a free agent contract on Wednesday, right after trading for ex-Steelers receiver Antonio Brown.

Tyrell Williams inked a 4-year, $44 million deal with Oakland that includes $22 million guaranteed.

With performance incentives and bonuses, the maximum potential value of Williams’ deal is $47 million.

The new Raiders receiver spent the first four seasons of his career with the Chargers franchise. His best year came in 2016, when he caught 69 passes for a total of 1,059 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Williams was also solid in 2017 and 2018 as Los Angeles’s second option behind Keenan Allen, catching 84 passes, recording 1,381 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns between the two seasons.

In addition, the Western Oregon alum has a reputation for durability. The 27-year-old hasn’t missed a single NFL game due to injury since his debut in the 2015 season.

Williams’ role on the Oakland Raiders will be as a big-play threat and Derek Carr’s second receiving option behind the newly-acquired Antonio Brown.

Oakland’s wide receiving attack might just be the spark that leads them to the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season after the additions of Brown and Williams.

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Although they were the first NFL team to be out of the playoff picture in 2018, Oakland Raiders still want to earn some respect before the season ends. The team announced several roster moves on Wednesday, including the signing of former Denver Broncos running back C.J. Anderson, defensive end Kony Ealy, who was the second round pick in 2014, and cornerback Bene Benwikere.

In corresponding moves, Raiders placed safety Reggie Nelson, linebacker Shilique Calhoun and wide receiver Martavis Bryant on the injured reserve list.

We have signed DE Kony Ealy, RB C.J. Anderson and CB Bene Benwikere.

More: https://t.co/0nS29qbbX2 pic.twitter.com/2O02PBa4V1

— Oakland Raiders (@Raiders) December 5, 2018

After going undrafted in 2013 NFL Draft, C.J. Anderson signed with the Denver Broncos. During his time in Denver, he managed to win a Super Bowl and earn himself a Pro Bowl appearance. After Broncos released him following the end of 2017 season, Anderson signed with the Carolina Panthers in March 2018. He played nine games for Carolina, rushing for 104 yards and having a touchdown reception, before being released mid-November. The 27-year-old visited several teams in the past couple of weeks, including the Kansas City Chiefs, before settling in Oakland.

Kony Ealy had an eye-catching start of his NFL career when he got selected in PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2014 as the member of Carolina Panthers. After another solid season in 2015, Ealy started struggling with consistency and ended up being traded in early 2017 to New England Patriots. He also had short stints with New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys since then.

Raiders will be Bene Benwikere’s seventh NFL team in the last two years. The 27-year-old appeared in 11 games for the Arizona Cardinals in 2018, recording 51 tackles, one interception and four deflected passes before being released in late November.

The post Oakland Raiders Sign Former Broncos RB C.J. Anderson and Two More appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Oakland Raiders are boosting their secondary with some veteran presence, and are set to sign former New York Giants cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The news comes after the 32-year-old worked out for the Raiders on Wednesday.

Rodgers-Cromartie, who has two Pro Bowl appearances next to his named, confirmed the news to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.

DRC just texted me: “It’s go time.” … officially a member of the #Raiders https://t.co/A28NjuUIXW

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 23, 2018

According to Rapoport, there were several other NFL teams who were interested in Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, including Los Angeles Chargers and Seattle Seahawks.
Rodgers-Cromartie played 15 games for the Giants in 2017 but had a disappointing season. The organization considered the idea of moving him to the safety position in 2018 but then decided to release him in March, saving $6.5 million in cap space.

It remains unclear in which role will the Oakland Raiders use Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. He has several potential fits, including getting the starting cornerback position as well as making a transition to safety. Before this deal, Raiders were exploring possibilities of adding safety George Iloka and cornerback Bashaud Breeland. Now with Rodgers-Cromartie, they might have addressed both of those needs.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was drafted 16th overall in the 2008 draft by the Arizona Cardinals. He had an encouraging start of his career, making an impact in his rookie season and helping the Cardinals to reach Super Bowl. Rodgers-Cromartie went on to have some ups and downs in the following years, also playing for Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos, and New York Giants. In his 11 seasons in NFL, Rodgers-Cromartie earned two Pro Bowl selections and received Second-team All-Pro honors in 2016.

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After he recovers from Lisfranc surgery, Oakland Raiders left tackle Donald Penn will have a tough decision to make. According to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, Raiders have asked Penn to take a small pay cut. The 35-year-old Pro Bowler is currently scheduled to earn $8.4 million in 2018.

It is still unclear whether Donald Penn, who received a $21 million extension last summer, is willing to accept the Raiders request. Reportedly, the team is ready to trade him if he refuses, being confident that rookie Kolton Miller can take his place.

Still, Oakland Raiders won’t make an immediate decision on Penn’s future, until he is fully recovered from his injury. Although the timetable for his return isn’t known, he is expected to be ready to play before the regular season starts.

After going undrafted in 2006, Donald Penn had a short stint with Minnesota Vikings before signing with Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He remained eight years in Tampa Bay, during which he started more than 100th consecutive games and earned one Pro Bowl appearance. After Buccaneers decided to release him in 2014, Penn signed with the Raiders, where he established himself as one of the team’s most important players in the offensive line. In the last two seasons he spent with the Raiders, Penn earned two consecutive Pro Bowl appearances.

The post Raiders Asked LT Donald Penn to Take a “Small Pay Cut” appeared first on SportzBonanza.

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.

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Oakland Raiders had a busy day on Thursday. They first traded away the 10th overall pick in 2018 NFL draft to Arizona Cardinals in exchange for the 15th overall pick and two third-round picks. Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie used the 15th pick to select UCLA’s tackle Kolton Mille and then sent one-third rounder (79th) to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for wide receiver Martavis Bryant.

“With Martavis, it [was] all about trying to use that pick and get another player,” – explained McKenzie. “It’s like drafting a player. We feel like we drafted Martavis Bryant.”

With Bryant on the team, Raiders have now surrounded their quarterback Derek Carr with a deep wide receiver core which also features f Amari Cooper and Jordy Nelson.

“He’s ideal, what you’re looking for in a wide receiver,” – McKenzie added. “He can play big. He can play fast, and he makes plays. We think he can be a dynamic receiver for Derek [Carr].“

Martavis Bryant had lots of ups and downs with the Steelers organization, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. The 26-year-old had issues with his behavior off the field and even received a season-long suspension in 2016 for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Despite this, he started 2017 season as the Steelers’ starting wide receiver alongside Antonio Brown. Halfway through the season, Bryant publicly expressed his desire to be traded, but the team denied the request. He finished the regular season with 50 receptions, 603 yards, and 3 touchdowns.

“I’ll always have love for the Steelers,” – said Bryant after being traded to the Raiders. “There was no bitterness. It’s just a business situation. [If I wasn’t traded] I was prepared to be back and be a good teammate.“

The post Oakland Raiders Acquire WR Martavis Bryant from Pittsburgh Steelers appeared first on SportzBonanza.

It looked like there are slim chances that running back Marshawn Lynch will remain with the Oakland Raiders in 2018 season, especially since the organization signed RB Doug Martin recently. However, Lynch will remain with the Raiders, but on slightly different terms. The 31-year-old has restructured his contract and lowered his base value in 2018 to $5.5 million but will get $4.5 million guaranteed, compared to not having guaranteed money on his old deal. Lynch could end up getting total of $9.25 million with incentives.

After a slow start of 2017 NFL season, Marshawn Lynch entered his familiar “Beast Mode” and averaged 5.2 yards per carry from Week 13 through Week 17. He ended the season with 891 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. New Raiders head coach Jon Gruden previously hinted that he has Lynch in his plans and that he is excited to work with him.

“He’s still a beast that’s hard to bring down.” – said Gruden about Lynch in February. “One of the reasons I’m excited to be with the Raiders is to join forces with Lynch. We’ll see what happens, obviously, we have to take a look at the whole roster, but I’m counting on him. I’m counting on him to be a big part of our football team.“

Marshawn Lynch started his NFL career with the Buffalo Bills, who took him with the 12th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. He was named the team’s starting running back and finished his first two seasons rushing for more than 1,000 yards in each. After a mediocre 2009 season, he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in 2010, where he played the best football of his career. He had four consecutive seasons in which he rushed for more than 1,000 yards and was NFL’s rushing leader twice (2013,2014). He was also a Super Bowl champion with the Seahawks in 2013 season and was named Pro-Bowl on four occasions.

Marshawn Lynch left the Seahawks in 2015 and announced his retirement. He missed the entire 2016 season but decided to come back in 2017 and sign with the Raiders.

The post RB Marshawn Lynch Restructures His Contract with the Raiders appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Oakland Raiders added yet another receiver on a free agent contract on Wednesday, right after trading for ex-Steelers receiver Antonio Brown.

Tyrell Williams inked a 4-year, $44 million deal with Oakland that includes $22 million guaranteed.

With performance incentives and bonuses, the maximum potential value of Williams’ deal is $47 million.

The new Raiders receiver spent the first four seasons of his career with the Chargers franchise. His best year came in 2016, when he caught 69 passes for a total of 1,059 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Williams was also solid in 2017 and 2018 as Los Angeles’s second option behind Keenan Allen, catching 84 passes, recording 1,381 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns between the two seasons.

In addition, the Western Oregon alum has a reputation for durability. The 27-year-old hasn’t missed a single NFL game due to injury since his debut in the 2015 season.

Williams’ role on the Oakland Raiders will be as a big-play threat and Derek Carr’s second receiving option behind the newly-acquired Antonio Brown.

Oakland’s wide receiving attack might just be the spark that leads them to the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season after the additions of Brown and Williams.

The post Raiders Add Tyrell Williams to Wide Receiving Corps appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Although they were the first NFL team to be out of the playoff picture in 2018, Oakland Raiders still want to earn some respect before the season ends. The team announced several roster moves on Wednesday, including the signing of former Denver Broncos running back C.J. Anderson, defensive end Kony Ealy, who was the second round pick in 2014, and cornerback Bene Benwikere.

In corresponding moves, Raiders placed safety Reggie Nelson, linebacker Shilique Calhoun and wide receiver Martavis Bryant on the injured reserve list.

We have signed DE Kony Ealy, RB C.J. Anderson and CB Bene Benwikere.

More: https://t.co/0nS29qbbX2 pic.twitter.com/2O02PBa4V1

— Oakland Raiders (@Raiders) December 5, 2018

After going undrafted in 2013 NFL Draft, C.J. Anderson signed with the Denver Broncos. During his time in Denver, he managed to win a Super Bowl and earn himself a Pro Bowl appearance. After Broncos released him following the end of 2017 season, Anderson signed with the Carolina Panthers in March 2018. He played nine games for Carolina, rushing for 104 yards and having a touchdown reception, before being released mid-November. The 27-year-old visited several teams in the past couple of weeks, including the Kansas City Chiefs, before settling in Oakland.

Kony Ealy had an eye-catching start of his NFL career when he got selected in PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2014 as the member of Carolina Panthers. After another solid season in 2015, Ealy started struggling with consistency and ended up being traded in early 2017 to New England Patriots. He also had short stints with New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys since then.

Raiders will be Bene Benwikere’s seventh NFL team in the last two years. The 27-year-old appeared in 11 games for the Arizona Cardinals in 2018, recording 51 tackles, one interception and four deflected passes before being released in late November.

The post Oakland Raiders Sign Former Broncos RB C.J. Anderson and Two More appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Oakland Raiders are boosting their secondary with some veteran presence, and are set to sign former New York Giants cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The news comes after the 32-year-old worked out for the Raiders on Wednesday.

Rodgers-Cromartie, who has two Pro Bowl appearances next to his named, confirmed the news to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.

DRC just texted me: “It’s go time.” … officially a member of the #Raiders https://t.co/A28NjuUIXW

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 23, 2018

According to Rapoport, there were several other NFL teams who were interested in Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, including Los Angeles Chargers and Seattle Seahawks.
Rodgers-Cromartie played 15 games for the Giants in 2017 but had a disappointing season. The organization considered the idea of moving him to the safety position in 2018 but then decided to release him in March, saving $6.5 million in cap space.

It remains unclear in which role will the Oakland Raiders use Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. He has several potential fits, including getting the starting cornerback position as well as making a transition to safety. Before this deal, Raiders were exploring possibilities of adding safety George Iloka and cornerback Bashaud Breeland. Now with Rodgers-Cromartie, they might have addressed both of those needs.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was drafted 16th overall in the 2008 draft by the Arizona Cardinals. He had an encouraging start of his career, making an impact in his rookie season and helping the Cardinals to reach Super Bowl. Rodgers-Cromartie went on to have some ups and downs in the following years, also playing for Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos, and New York Giants. In his 11 seasons in NFL, Rodgers-Cromartie earned two Pro Bowl selections and received Second-team All-Pro honors in 2016.

The post Raiders Set to Sign Two Times Pro Bowler CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After he recovers from Lisfranc surgery, Oakland Raiders left tackle Donald Penn will have a tough decision to make. According to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, Raiders have asked Penn to take a small pay cut. The 35-year-old Pro Bowler is currently scheduled to earn $8.4 million in 2018.

It is still unclear whether Donald Penn, who received a $21 million extension last summer, is willing to accept the Raiders request. Reportedly, the team is ready to trade him if he refuses, being confident that rookie Kolton Miller can take his place.

Still, Oakland Raiders won’t make an immediate decision on Penn’s future, until he is fully recovered from his injury. Although the timetable for his return isn’t known, he is expected to be ready to play before the regular season starts.

After going undrafted in 2006, Donald Penn had a short stint with Minnesota Vikings before signing with Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He remained eight years in Tampa Bay, during which he started more than 100th consecutive games and earned one Pro Bowl appearance. After Buccaneers decided to release him in 2014, Penn signed with the Raiders, where he established himself as one of the team’s most important players in the offensive line. In the last two seasons he spent with the Raiders, Penn earned two consecutive Pro Bowl appearances.

The post Raiders Asked LT Donald Penn to Take a “Small Pay Cut” appeared first on SportzBonanza.

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.

The post Former Chiefs’ LB Derrick Johnson to Sign with the Raider appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Oakland Raiders had a busy day on Thursday. They first traded away the 10th overall pick in 2018 NFL draft to Arizona Cardinals in exchange for the 15th overall pick and two third-round picks. Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie used the 15th pick to select UCLA’s tackle Kolton Mille and then sent one-third rounder (79th) to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for wide receiver Martavis Bryant.

“With Martavis, it [was] all about trying to use that pick and get another player,” – explained McKenzie. “It’s like drafting a player. We feel like we drafted Martavis Bryant.”

With Bryant on the team, Raiders have now surrounded their quarterback Derek Carr with a deep wide receiver core which also features f Amari Cooper and Jordy Nelson.

“He’s ideal, what you’re looking for in a wide receiver,” – McKenzie added. “He can play big. He can play fast, and he makes plays. We think he can be a dynamic receiver for Derek [Carr].“

Martavis Bryant had lots of ups and downs with the Steelers organization, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. The 26-year-old had issues with his behavior off the field and even received a season-long suspension in 2016 for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Despite this, he started 2017 season as the Steelers’ starting wide receiver alongside Antonio Brown. Halfway through the season, Bryant publicly expressed his desire to be traded, but the team denied the request. He finished the regular season with 50 receptions, 603 yards, and 3 touchdowns.

“I’ll always have love for the Steelers,” – said Bryant after being traded to the Raiders. “There was no bitterness. It’s just a business situation. [If I wasn’t traded] I was prepared to be back and be a good teammate.“

The post Oakland Raiders Acquire WR Martavis Bryant from Pittsburgh Steelers appeared first on SportzBonanza.

It looked like there are slim chances that running back Marshawn Lynch will remain with the Oakland Raiders in 2018 season, especially since the organization signed RB Doug Martin recently. However, Lynch will remain with the Raiders, but on slightly different terms. The 31-year-old has restructured his contract and lowered his base value in 2018 to $5.5 million but will get $4.5 million guaranteed, compared to not having guaranteed money on his old deal. Lynch could end up getting total of $9.25 million with incentives.

After a slow start of 2017 NFL season, Marshawn Lynch entered his familiar “Beast Mode” and averaged 5.2 yards per carry from Week 13 through Week 17. He ended the season with 891 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. New Raiders head coach Jon Gruden previously hinted that he has Lynch in his plans and that he is excited to work with him.

“He’s still a beast that’s hard to bring down.” – said Gruden about Lynch in February. “One of the reasons I’m excited to be with the Raiders is to join forces with Lynch. We’ll see what happens, obviously, we have to take a look at the whole roster, but I’m counting on him. I’m counting on him to be a big part of our football team.“

Marshawn Lynch started his NFL career with the Buffalo Bills, who took him with the 12th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. He was named the team’s starting running back and finished his first two seasons rushing for more than 1,000 yards in each. After a mediocre 2009 season, he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in 2010, where he played the best football of his career. He had four consecutive seasons in which he rushed for more than 1,000 yards and was NFL’s rushing leader twice (2013,2014). He was also a Super Bowl champion with the Seahawks in 2013 season and was named Pro-Bowl on four occasions.

Marshawn Lynch left the Seahawks in 2015 and announced his retirement. He missed the entire 2016 season but decided to come back in 2017 and sign with the Raiders.

The post RB Marshawn Lynch Restructures His Contract with the Raiders appeared first on SportzBonanza.