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The Las Vegas Raiders have done some serious work on their offensive line this offseason. Last week, they handed projected starting center Andre James a three-year extension despite only starting one game in his career. They’ve now locked up their starting left tackle for the next several years.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Raiders have signed Kolton Miller to a three-year extension worth over $18 million a year. He’ll also receive $42.6 million in contract guarantees.
After trading away Trent Brown, Gabe Jackson and Rodney Hudson this offseason, it was clear the Raiders wanted to get younger on the offensive line. Miller figured to be the piece they wanted to build around. The 2018 first-round pick has gotten better in each year that he’s played. They probably didn’t need to extend him quite yet as he has one more year on his contract and then a fifth-year option. However, they clearly have a ton of confidence in him. Miller is only 25-years-old and keeps getting better. It’s easy to see a couple of Pro Bowls in his future.
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Smart Move for Raiders?
Miller is an ascending player, there’s no doubt about it. He’s young and there’s still room for improvement. That said, does he deserve to be paid like one of the best left tackles in the NFL? Probably not yet.
Regardless, the Raiders believe he’ll be one of their top offensive linemen for years to come. With the salary cap expected to get a big boost next offseason, $18 million a year for a star left tackle isn’t too high of a price. Las Vegas is likely looking to the future. It’s possible that the price for free agent left tackles is a lot higher when Miller is ready to hit free agency. As of right now, Miller is probably not worth all that money, but if he keeps getting better, the Raiders will have no problem paying him the steep price tag.
Tom Cable Excited About Raiders OL
After his rookie season, Miller looked like a complete bust. He was one of the worst offensive linemen in the NFL. His transformation is quite stunning. He’s now a dependable left tackle who doesn’t give up a lot of sacks. He only allowed two in 2020, according to Pro Football Focus. Offensive line coach Tom Cable deserves a lot of credit for getting the best out of Miller. The veteran coach is now going to have a very young group to work with and he’s excited about it.
“This is really exciting,” Cable told Vic Tafur of The Athletic. “We have a nice core group here, with Andre and Kolton and John Simpson and then you get Richie and Denzelle back so you’ve got a nice group to start working with, going forward. We hate losing those guys but that’s the NFL game — there’s always going to be transitions and cycles, so I am used to it. That’s part of the deal.
“I am excited about it because I think we have some quality people here.”
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