Raiders Latest Competition For Saints To Sign TE Jermaine Gresham
Yesterday it was reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter that highly sought after free agent tight end Jermaine Gresham had been offered a contract by the New Orleans Saints when he visited approximately a month ago.
Schefter also stated that the Arizona Cardinals would be hosting Gresham for a visit this week and that other teams were looking to sign him as well.
In a recent post by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, one of the other teams that is in competition with the Saints to sign Gresham is revealed to be the Oakland Raiders.
Free agent TE Jermaine Gresham’s visit to #AZCardinals set for tomorrow. Important physical. #Saints, #Raiders among others interested
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 20, 2015
If Gresham is looking to cash in on a huge payday, then the Raiders would be the ultimate destination for him.
More from Big Easy Believer
- New Orleans Saints: Three biggest questions heading into the offseason
- New Orleans Saints: Three positives to take from playoff loss
- New Orleans Pelicans: Betting guide vs. Sacramento Kings
- New Orleans Saints: Bold predictions for Wild Card Round vs. Vikings
- New Orleans Pelicans: Betting guide in Los Angeles Lakers rematch
According to OverTheCap.com and Spotrac.com, the Raiders have approximately $20 million in salary cap space with the Saints hovering at around $3 million.
Currently the Raiders have five tight ends on their roster: Lee Smith, Mychal Rivera, Brian Leonhardt, Gabe Holmes, and Clive Walford.
Ourlads.com has the Raiders depth chart listed as Rivera being the #1 tight end followed by Smith, Walford, Leonhardt, and then Holmes.
Jun 9, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders tight end Mychal Rivera (81) catches a pass at minicamp at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Rivera was the Raiders leading pass catcher in the tight end group for 2014 with 58 receptions for 534 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Smith merely caught 7 receptions for 42 yards and 1 touchdown but his 6-6, 265 lb. frame was built more as a blocker than a receiver.
Walford was the third round selection for the Raiders in the 2015 NFL Draft and expected to be a big part of their offense just as he was at the University of Miami.
During the draft process Walford was actually one of several tight end prospects I thought would be a good fit for the Saints.
May 26, 2015; Alameda, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders tight end Clive Walford (88) catches a pass at organized team activities at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
While the Raiders do have five tight ends on their roster you can see that they are just as in need of one as the Saints are, so signing Gresham would be huge for them.
The one main draw the Saints still have is swaying Gresham that he’d be catching passes from quarterback Drew Brees.
While Raiders quarterback Derek Carr is expected to take the next step in his sophomore season, you really can’t compare the two.
More from New Orleans Saints
- New Orleans Saints: Three biggest questions heading into the offseason
- New Orleans Saints: Three positives to take from playoff loss
- New Orleans Saints: Bold predictions for Wild Card Round vs. Vikings
- New Orleans Saints: Complete roster breakdown vs. Minnesota Vikings
- New Orleans Saints: The one overarching reason why the Vikings will lose
The main theory is that Gresham may come down to the wire and will decide on a team right before training camp starts.
As of right now the other team or teams still in the mix for Gresham haven’t been revealed but I’m sure as this week rolls on we’ll find out.
But time is ticking down for the Saints since they are scheduled to report to training camp at The Greenbriar in West Virginia on July 29th with the first practice session the following day.
One way or the other the Black and Gold will be bringing someone in to help compete at tight end shortly…..