The most accomplished member of the Oakland Raiders backfield will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Is re-signing him worth the cost?
Oakland Raiders Faces Decision on Latavius Murray
The Raiders enter the 2017 offseason in a favorable position. They have over $51 million in available cap space, and just two full-time 2016 starters — running back Latavius Murray and linebacker Malcolm Smith — are set to be UFAs.
It has been reported that Murray’s agent has been in contact with the Raiders about a potential contract extension, and Murray has been vocal about his desire to say with Oakland long term.
“I don’t think I ever want to be a guy who bounces around or things like that,” Murray said. “I’d love to finish my career here. I think [it] says a lot about any player who’s able to stay in one place. I’d love to finish what I started but I know how things could go.”
While Oakland certainly has the cap space to re-sign Murray, the decision making process will be complex. Derek Carr‘s rookie contract is set to expire after the 2017 season. Khalil Mack‘s will expire after 2018. Both superstars will command lucrative new deals, which will have an impact on the way the Raiders front office approaches this free agency period.
“You can’t keep everybody. You can’t play everybody,” head coach Jack Del Rio said, “Especially once you start paying your quarterback what he’s going to end up making. I’m sure it will be a pretty nice amount. We’ve been able to do more other places because we haven’t had to put a lot in the quarterback number. As that number goes up, that will limit some of the things you have to do.”
Spotrac.com, which uses age, production, and statistical comparisons to determine a player’s market value in free agency, predicts Murray will command an average annual salary around $3.3M. This estimate means that Oakland can retain Murray without the risk of disaster associated with more lucrative recent running back contracts such as Doug Martin‘s with Tampa Bay and DeMarco Murray‘s with Philadelphia.
Del Rio criticized since departed offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave on multiple occasions for his inability to establish the run when the Raiders needed it most. Many expected Oakland to lean heavily on the run in the absence of Carr, but Murray received a season-low five carries in the Week 17 loss to Denver.
If Oakland chooses not to re-sign Murray, they have two solid in-house options to assume his workload in Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington. But if the switch from Musgrave to new offensive coordinator Todd Downing was the first step towards ensuring more “big-boy ball” in the running game, re-signing Murray may be the next one.
