Oakland Raiders left tackle Donald Penn is holding out of camp in hopes for a new contract. General manager Reggie McKenzie is not happy about that, and he publicly called out his starting left tackle through the media.
“I want him in camp,” McKenzie said, via Scott Bait of NBC Sports Bay Area. “He has a deal. I want him in camp. We don’t talk contracts unless a guy’s here.”
Penn is reportedly looking to be paid like one of the top-10 tackles in the league. In his current deal, Penn would make $5.8 million in base salary. With bonuses factored in, he could make north of $7 million. For Penn, who made the Pro Bowl in 2016 protecting Derek Carr’s blind side, that’s well under market value.
Objectively, it’s hard to argue. Penn is 34, and as such, he probably shouldn’t be getting a long-term deal. But a short-term deal that pays him more per year is not an unreasonable expectation.
McKenzie also talked about how much love he still has for Penn, but reiterated that he’s wanted in camp.
“Donald’s my guy,” McKenzie said. “I love him to death. Since he stepped right in after the loss of (Jared) Veldheer, he’s been my guy. That’s not going to change. That said, we’d love to have him here. If you guys would go down to L.A. and drive him up I’d appreciate it.”
Right now, this is all just an inconvenience. You certainly want your players, especially your best players in camp. But if Penn isn’t there to protect Carr’s blind slide when Oakland opens its preseason slate on August 12 against the Arizona Cardinals, it becomes more than an inconvenience.