Raiders free agents from 6 to 1

Just as much fun as the draft and for some reason not nearly as prone to rampant speculation, the NFL's free agency period is now under three weeks away. Last year's bonanza, which resulted in some 300-plus new contracts inked, was "almost like being recruited again" in the words of one agent. Though things figure not to be as crazy come Feb. 29 (and the New England Patriots probably won't be fishing with dynamite this time around), free agency 2008 should be a fun one.RealFootball365.com today offers assistance to the Oakland Raiders, a little advice vis-a-vis re-signings from this year's silver and black. In reverse order of priority, Al Davis, Lane Kiffin & Co. (assuming they'll all manage to see eye to eye someday) should want the following fellows to stay Dallas Cowboys jersey
Raiders.6. Daunte Culpepper. Nearly as much a no-brainer as No. 1 (hint: It's Nnamdi Asomugha), Culpepper is the easy choice here. To offer a prediction along with this judgment call, I foresee a thousand bloggers emitting posts from within the Raider Nation on the subject of Culpepper, all proclaiming they knew when he first signed with Oakland that he was a couple years past done.5. Tommy Kelly. Is there any player on the roster more frustrating than Kelly? After showing gobs of potential at Mississippi State but going undrafted in 2003, Kelly showed smarts and adaptability in playing multiple positions in 3-4 and 4-3 sets. When Art Shell had him at nose tackle in 2006, Kelly fared poorly; in 2007, Kelly appeared to have finally emerged into the star Oakland fans sometimes glimpsed when squinting, followed by ... a trip to the IR with a torn ligament after Week 8. Will 2008 be the year? Is Kelly worth the gamble of a multiyear contract? An intriguing situation here, to be sure ... 4. Josh McCown. What's the price of a backup quarterback? The Raider brain trust is about to find out. Though hardly an enviable necessity, McCown at least has savvy enough to be worth re-upping on a weak market.3. Chris Carr. The franchise's all-time-leading kickoff returner saw less time on special teams, was taken off punt returning almost entirely, and spent quality time on defense. And you know what? The Reno, Nev. native's getting better. Scary stuff from a guy out of Boise State University who went undrafted. Re-sign this restricted free agent to a multiyear deal.2. Justin Fargas. All right, we all know conventional wisdom has Davis releasing Fargas into the wild and setting his sights on Darren McFadden. What is vaguely incomprehensible, as with most Davis matters these days, is the urgency to shift gears at the position. USC alum Fargas had a fantastic season in 2007, making a few fantasy owners' year while topping 1,000 yards and a 4.0 yards per carry average despite five early season games in which he had single-digit carries. This guy can block like a fullback and shows that inestimable toughness that screams "RAIDER." Even worse than these publicly reckoned moves are the rumors that Davis is willing to trade up to No. 1 to assure the drafting of Fargas' replacement; surely this is unnecessary trigger-pulling as the three to five teams drafting ahead of Oakland would appear to be most interested in defense and/or Matt Ryan. Why show your hand like that, Al?Sure, it may be that McFadden is the best offensive player available by the time the Raiders step up to the mike, but Oakland could save money and go with an established presence at halfback. Or they Jets 6 Sanchez AFL50th jersey
could stand by and watch Fargas amaze in, say, Chicago. Or Carolina. Or...1. Nnamdi Asomugha. A no-brainer. Potentially the single most desirable free agent out there, everyone is convinced that the Raiders will slap the franchise tag on Asomugha. This looks to be the safest and best move for Oakland, so why are the Raiders waiting...? Must be an Al Davis thing.