The Las Vegas Raiders could very well be up to something ahead of their season opener against the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
According to Field Yates of ESPN, Vegas has restructured the contract of new quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. The move reportedly saves the Raiders a whopping $17 million against the 2023 NFL salary cap.
It’s rare that a team makes a move of this ilk so close to the start of the regular season. It’s even more rare to restructure a contract you signed just months before. Garoppolo inked a three-year, $72.5 million deal with Vegas back in March.
Initially, the contract enabled the Raiders to get out of it with a minimum cap hit following the 2024 season. By virtue of this restructure, that’s now highly unlikely to be the case.
Prior to making this move, the Raiders were a mere $7,254 under the cap. They now rank in the top seven of the NFL in cap room, leading to speculation that something could happen on the transaction front over the next few days.
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Potential Las Vegas Raiders targets with new cap room
The Raiders were previously linked to Baltimore Ravens star linebacker Patrick Queen in NFL trade rumors over the past week or so. Perhaps, something could be coming on that front. Queen is slated to enter his contract year and has not received an extension with the Ravens. It has led to speculation that he could be on the move.
Other players potentially available at need areas include Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald and Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Derek Barnett.
The Raiders head into Week 1 against Denver with somewhat muted expectations. They are not in the same league as the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs or the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC West.
Even then, it seems as if general manager Davie Ziegler is on the verge of adding more talent to the roster ahead of the season opener in Denver.