Raiders Expected To Cut Staring CB To Save $3.3 Million in Salary Cap

With the Las Vegas Raiders undergoing changes at head coach and general manager, there are many players whose spots on the roster won’t be safe. After a rough 4-13 season, it’s easy to see John Spytek and Pete Carroll wanting to overhaul the roster.

One intriguing player to watch could be cornerback Jack Jones. He’s shown flashes of being a very good player but has had some notable issues on and off the field. Notably, he was benched in the first half of the Raiders’ Week 4 game against the Cleveland Browns after former head coach Antonio Pierce made his infamous “business decisions” comments.

The Bleacher Report Scouting Department named the top cut candidates for every team and Jones made an appearance on the list.

“The Raiders don’t really need to carve out cap space,” Bleacher Report wrote in a Jan. 20 column. “They have the second-highest projected cap space number in the league, and there aren’t a lot of candidates to cut that even make sense. If the Raiders decide to do some housekeeping, then Jack Jones could be a surprise candidate. The entirety of his $3.3 million cap hit would come off the books if they release him.

“Jones was a midseason acquisition in 2023 and really looked like a success story of Antonio Pierce’s coaching regime. However, he kind of came back down to earth this season and was responsible for giving up eight touchdowns in coverage, per Pro Football Reference. $3.3 million isn’t much for a potential starter at corner, but if the new coaching regime isn’t a fan then he could be sent to the free-agent pool.”

It’s possible that Carroll will see enough in Jones to work with but that remains to be seen. The coach does have a history of getting the best out of defensive backs so he may at least give Jones a chance.

Pete Carroll Addresses Who Has Roster Control

One of the big questions that was looming over the Raiders as they named Spytek as general manager and Carroll as head coach was who was going to have personnel power.

Carroll had final say on roster decisions during his time with the Seattle Seahawks but he doesn’t have as much clout built it with the Raiders. According to the coach, he will have a collaborative relationship with Spytek.

“We’re sharing everything,” Carroll said during his Jan. 27 press conference. “We’re collaborating to the nth degree. … We’re partners in this. That’s the way we did it before (with the Seahawks). If you look at what happened over the 14 years, you wouldn’t have known who was calling what. That’s the way I want it to be, and I know John’s on board with that.”

That doesn’t necessarily answer the question of who will have final say regarding the roster but it certainly sounds like Carroll won’t be ignored.

Big Offseason For Raiders

After Pierce took over for Josh McDaniels at head coach, the team didn’t change much. Many coaches were brought back and there weren’t many roster changes.

Now that Carroll and Spytek are in, there could be significant changes. Carroll wants to win quickly so there could be some major roster moves on the horizon. This is going to be a pivotal offseason for the Silver and Black.