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Lechler Staying, CJ Gets Modest Deal, Walker Should be Cut

Chris Johnson's salary is modest for what people were expecting. Just a $3.85 million per year average salary.

There is always at least a slight advantage to signing guys before they hit the market that were already on your team. I think CJ wanted to be here, and gave us a small discount. He gains respect from the fans for wanting to be a Raider.

On the flip side Lechler get $3 million a year average, which is less than expected, and also proves to me Davis hasn't lost it like everyone thinks. Losing Lechler would completely change the field position game for us. That is one very important thing for a team trying to turn around losing ways.

Do these guys believe in Cable? Is Davis more in control of his emotions?

Time will tell.

The biggest question looming is who will be cut, who will restructure?

$6 million–T Kwame Harris - GONE
$5.372 million–G Robert Gallery - STAYS, No Restructure
$5 million–WR Javon Walker - GONE, See Below
$5 million–RB Darren McFadden - STAYS, No Restructure
$4.5 million–DT Tommy Kelly - STAYS, No Restructure
$4.5 million–S Gibril Wilson - STAYS, No Restructure
$2.5 million–WR Ronald Curry - GONE
$1.9 million–DT Terdell Sands - Restructure or GONE.
$1.5 million–DE Derrick Burgess - STAYS, No Restructure
$1 million–RB Justin Fargas - I don't believe he is going anywhere, but this is an interesting situation.

Unsubstantiated reports of Asomugha being close to a long-term deal.

If this is the case, Al Davis is having a great offseason so far.

Next Step, Cut Javon Walker.

What few people realize is that cutting him isn't the drain that has been reported. $1.83 Mil Signing Bonus for the next five years would count immediately, but we would save $4 Mil in base and the $5 Mil Roster Bonus he is due in March. The total cap hit for Walker is thus only $150,000 and with no dead cap space in the future. So the Raiders need to decide between paying him $9,000,000 this season to play or paying him nothing to go away and taking the $150,000 cap hit. Walker's cap hit if he stays is $10,830,000.

There is one way I could be wrong, and that is if his $5 mil roster bonus is fully guaranteed. I haven't heard that reported, but it is possible (See Derek Anderson's contract)

Normally cutting a guy clears cap space, but as was the case with Rhodes and Jordan, sometimes it is just to clear roster space that you can fill with a cheaper player.

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