Getty Raiders HC Jon Gruden.
The Oakland Raiders have already made their first big move of the offseason by signing Richie Incognito to an extension and they followed that up quickly with several roster transactions. No big names were re-signed, but the team has given out reserve/futures contracts to six players who spent the end of the season on the Raiders’ practice squad.
The following players have already signed:
- Ade Aruna, DE
- Jordan Brown, DB
- Kendall Donnerson, DE
- Kyle Kalis, OL
- Erik Magnuson, C
- Anthony Ratliff-Williams, WR
Ade Aruna is the newest Raider as the team brought him onto the practice squad just before their Week 17 game versus the Denver Broncos. The only one out of the six players to spend time on the active roster was Erik Magnuson. None of the players were on the Raiders’ practice squad to start the season and Jordan Brown is the only rookie among the group.
What Is a Reserve/Futures Contract?
It’s important to note that a reserve/futures contract isn’t exactly the same as a regular contract. Bleacher Report has an in-depth explanation of how these contracts work:
It’s the same as a regular active-roster contract, with the regular rules for minimum veteran salaries, cap charges, signing bonuses, etc. The only difference is that it doesn’t take effect until the start of the next League Year.
Teams can sign players to futures contracts as soon as the previous regular season is over, but the contract won’t count against the salary cap or 53-man limit. Instead, it’ll count against the salary cap and 90-man camp limit of the following season.
In the meantime, the player goes on the reserve/futures list and can’t be signed by any other team.
Players can only sign a reserve/futures contract if they weren’t on an active NFL roster at the end of the season. These contracts are usually meant for young players or guys who spent much of the season on a practice squad. Players who get these contracts don’t exactly break the bank:
Typically, futures contracts are minimum-salary deals with little or no signing bonus. Most players signed to futures contracts will be fighting for a spot in camp; teams aren’t going to invest much into players who may well be cut the following autumn.
Just as with any other free agent, teams can sign futures contracts above the veteran minimum—but rarely (if ever) do.
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Young Bodies Heading Into the Offseason
There is a theme with all the players the Raiders signed and it’s that they are all young. Kyle Kalis is the oldest at 26 and no player has played more than three years of experience in the NFL. Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock have proven to be big fans of young talent and are heading into the offseason with an incredibly young team. Rookies played a large role in the team’s success in 2019 and it looks like young guys will continue to lead the Raiders in 2020.
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