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The Las Vegas Raiders have to be feeling really good right now. They’re 5-3 and have one of the easiest schedules in the NFL to finish the season. However, the team seems to have made some really big mistakes this past offseason.
General manager Mike Mayock spent some big money trying to fix the defense but it has yet to pay off. There were a couple of contracts that look bad in hindsight but Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report believes that defensive end Carl Nassib has the worst of all:
But unlike many of those questionable moves, the team would have to pay $5.8 million to part ways with Nassib after this season.
The Raiders signed Nassib after a two-year stint in Tampa Bay in which he had 12.5 sacks, but he has not been able to bring the pass rush to life, with Las Vegas recording the second-fewest sacks in 2020. Nassib isn’t even seeing much time on the field. He’s only played 37 percent of the defensive snaps, and he’s costing the team $7.8 million and has just 1.5 sacks and four pressures to show for it.
Nassib has been pretty much non-existence this season. In his defense, nobody on the Raiders defensive line has generated a consistent pass rush. The thing that makes the Nassib contract look so bad is that the team is stuck with him for at least one more season.
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Cory Littleton’s Contract Also Looks Really Bad
Linebacker Cory Littleton shouldn’t be left out of this conversation. He was considered the prize of free agency for the Raiders but he has been flat-out bad. According to Pro Football Focus, Littleton has been the team’s worst start (via Raiders Beat). That’s not what you’d want to see from one of your highest-paid defenders.
The frustrating thing is that Lilttleon is doing things poorly that he’s supposed to thrive at. He’s supposed to be excellent in coverage and is frequently getting burned. He’s supposed to be a sure tackler but he’s missing them at an alarming rate. It defies logic why he’s struggling so much. He was a consistent performer in Los Angeles and was a Pro Bowler in 2018. For whatever reason, he hasn’t played to the same level. If he can’t improve his play, the Raiders are going to have a disaster of a contract on their hands.
Other Bad Contracts
Maliek Collins definitely deserves some heat for his lackluster performance this year. Luckily, the Raiders only signed him to a one-year deal. Based on how he’s played, he probably won’t be getting a second.
Trent Brown’s contract is also starting to look bad. He’s the highest-paid player on the Raiders but has missed almost as many games as he’s played. Now, his situation is a little different. He’s been elite when he does play and might be the best right tackle in the NFL. However, if he doesn’t play, then the Raiders have all that money tied up for essentially nothing in return.
The worst contract of all might be Marcus Mariota’s. He’s the highest-paid backup quarterback in the NFL but hasn’t even been active for a single game. He’s the team’s third-stringer behind Nathan Peterman and Derek Carr. Signing him was easily the worst move that Mayock made in the offseason.
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