Getty Oakland Raiders DE Benson Mayowa.
Benson Mayowa hasn’t been shy about wanting a contract extension. Shortly after his impressive performance against the Los Angeles Chargers, he was all over his Twitter making cryptic comments about a potential contract extension. There’s no doubt he has every reason to believe he deserves it. He’s easily the Oakland Raiders‘ most productive pass rusher and leads the team with seven sacks on the years. Ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, Mayowa took to his Instagram and things got interesting.
There wasn’t anything particularly notable about the post itself, but if you look at the comments, there was some interesting content there.
Instagram comment section for Benson Mayowa.
There were calls from Maxx Crosby and Maurice Hurst to extend the defensive end. Mayowa simply commented with the “eyes” emoji. Typically when people post that emoji, it means something could be in the works. It’s not a for sure thing that the Raiders are in talks with Mayowa for an extension, but the team has shown that they are willing to reward productive veterans.
The Raiders Have Already Extended Some Veterans
Since training camp, the Raiders have already handed out contract extensions to two veteran players in Rodney Hudson and Darren Waller. Hudson is a long proven veteran that consistently has played at a pro bowl level. Waller, on the other hand, is in a comparable situation to Mayowa. Both players haven’t shown elite production before this season. Waller got his contract, so it would make sense that Mayowa would have one coming his way.
The biggest concern would be that Mayowa is a one-hit-wonder. He’s in the middle of his seventh NFL season and has never shown that he’s a consistent pass rush threat until this season. The Raiders may be a little apprehensive to give big money to a player who may not have the same numbers in 2020.
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Fit Matters
While Oakland should be careful when discussing a contract extension for Mayowa, he could be just what the team needs. Just because Mayowa hasn’t been this productive elsewhere doesn’t mean he can’t continue his success with the Raiders. Paul Guenther has obviously figured out how to best utilize him and he’s a perfect fit in pass-rushing situations.
Also, Mayowa really shouldn’t be expecting that much money. He’s a situational pass rusher and he’s proven to be great at it. However, he mainly plays on third downs and situational players don’t get big money. If he’s not expecting huge money, Oakland should really try and extend him soon. If he keeps getting sacks and ends the season with over 10, he’s going to be a hot commodity in free agency. Teams constantly overpay for pass rushers and the Raiders should avoid trying to get into a bidding war with another team. Oakland has a really bad pass rush and Mayowa has been the only player who has proven he can consistently get pressure. They should lock him up as soon as possible.
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