Between the influx of older NFL players and the surprise release of punter Marquette King, Jon Gruden’s first offseason back has been an intriguing one.
It’s Jon Gruden and everyone else. In fact, it’s not even as close as that sounds.
The Oakland Raiders new head coach signed a contract this offseason that made him filthy rich, so far beyond the next head coach that the announced deal was a complete shock to the entire NFL. At $10 million per year, Gruden is the best paid coach in professional football by $1 million more per year, but it was the length of the deal—an incredible 10 years—that really put it over the top. Even though other coaches like Pete Carroll make close to that amount, at $9 million, no other coach enjoys that sort of long-term guarantee.
One offseason into the deal, it’s already safe to question whether any coach should enjoy such security.
Gruden will, in time, get the chance to prove his worth where it matters most: on the field. And the NFL offseason has been proven many times over to be a deceiving period, during which “winners” and “losers” are declared in terms of player acquisitions only to see those evaluations look outright silly when it matters. Still it’s hard to reconcile some of the activity coming out of Oakland these days, as one transaction after another leaves NFL fans and analysts wondering what is happening.
Marquette King
Let’s get one thing clear: Marquette King has grown to be a very good punter in the NFL. The former All-Pro earned a five-year, $16.5 million extension as recently as two seasons ago, and last season was one of King’s most effective to date. In terms of base yards/punt, he’s fourth on the NFL’s all-time list and he’s still in his twenties. In short, he’s got a lot of good football left.
That’s why it was such a shock when Marquette King went to meet his new coaches and was greeted with a pink slip over the weekend. The Oakland Raiders don’t necessarily need to save money, but they’ve decided to go a different direction and pocket an additional $2.9 million in the process. While media members were scratching their heads, these reports started to leak:
There were whispers of King’s personality not clicking with Gruden’s. I should have listened better. Coach didn’t want to spend a lot of money on punter who gets personal fouls. #Raiders
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) March 30, 2018
I was told King’s release was a ”message” and it was a Gruden-led decision. More details to come on @RaidersSnakePit #Raiders
— Bill Williamson (@BWilliamsonNFL) March 30, 2018
King’s personality is one of the NFL’s most entertaining and if a coach wants to come across as old-school, he certainly has that right. But Gruden wants to send a “message” by getting rid of an effective player already locked up coming off of a great season because he doesn’t like his personality? Then why are other players on the roster.
Take running back Marshawn Lynch, for example. His personality or antics have certainly had a major impact on the field, and even as recently as last year, he was fined and suspended for his behavior. No message sent here. No clearing house. Just using one guy as a scapegoat to send a message that’s then not applied across the board.
Older players
Veteran leadership is a definite need on the field and in the locker room, so it’s not surprising that Gruden emphasized veteran acquisitions when he arrived in Oakland, noting that he would bring in some experienced players to help provide some of that leadership as well as their on-field contributions.
Unfortunately, the list is growing by the week as Gruden is turning the Raiders from an dynamic young offensive team to an aging run-first offense with the same defensive needs as when he first started.
It’s one thing to bring in one, two or even a few players to be veteran additions, guys with something left in the tank who can be team leaders or captains as well. A quick look at Gruden’s moves, however, leave a lot to be desired, despite some decent pulls in the midst of it all.
Look no further than Gruden’s new offensive plans, apparently centered on returning running back Marshawn Lynch (soon to be 32-years-old) and the newly inked Doug Martin. Not only is Martin already 29 years old, but if you move the decimal point, he’s also averaged a scant 2.9 yards per carry over the last two NFL seasons.
If you’re going to shift your entire offensive philosophy, it might help to bring in some ascending young talent who can change the game. Lynch showed last year that he has something left in the tank, but how much more? And it certainly wasn’t game-changing talent? At 4.3 yards/carry, he was an effective running back. That’s not bad, but you don’t suddenly reorient everything because you have Beast Mode and then the ghost of Doug Martin.
A quick rundown of some others: cornerback Leon Hall (33), wideout Jordy Nelson (33), cornerback Shareece Wright (31), offensive lineman Breno Giacomini (32), tight end Lee Smith (30).
The Raiders are spending money and making moves and yet hardly any of them (save for nice deals for cornerback Rashaan Melvin, run stopper Justin Ellis and linebacker Tahir Whitehead) are going to make the team noticeably better.
“The Old-Fashioned Way”
All of these moves can at least be understood if you put on the lenses that Jon Gruden says he wears when he looks at the NFL:
"“I’m trying to throw the game back to 1998. Really as broadcaster, I went around and observed every team. I asked a lot of questions. I took a look at the facilities, how they’re doing business. There’s a stack of analytical data that people don’t even know how to read it. It’s one thing to have the data. It’s another thing to know how to read the damn thing. So I’m not going to rely on GPSes and all the modern technology. I will certainly have some people that are professional that can help me from that regard. But I still think doing things the old fashioned way is a good way, and we’re going to try to lean the needle that way a little bit.”"
In one long introductory quote, Raiders fans should have realized then what they were getting this offseason. Forget today’s pass happy NFL complete with college schemes woven into pro playbooks. Forget metrics for the sake of the eye test. Forgo some youth for the sake of good old boys.
Gruden’s approach might just work. Six months from now, if the Raiders are showing off some winning ways, we’ll forget all of this was ever a distraction. Heck, we might even watch teams mimic the approach if he somehow pulls it off. But it’s likely a safer bet that Gruden has to eat crow at some point and change with the league moving forward.
With a 10-year deal, it’s not like he doesn’t have the time.