NFL Free Agency: Oakland Raiders Expected to Release Rolando McClain
By Josh Hill
The Rolando McClain saga in Oakland seems to finally be coming to an end. March 12th is the first day of the new season and the Oakland Raiders are expected to part ways with troubled linebacker Rolando McClain, which means they’ll be able to minimize the financial damage of releasing them as much as they possibly can.
Cutting McClain means the Raiders will have to eat roughly over $7 million, but by releasing him next Tuesday the Raiders will be able to spread his cap-hit out over two seasons rather than bind themselves during one.
It’s hard to believe that McClain is just three years removed from playing under Nick Saban at Alabama, but at just 23 years of age, McClain has already created a reputation for himself that no one will likely want to touch. But while McClain has had his notable run-ins with the law over the last two years, his talent is undeniable and at the discount he’s likely going to come at, someone is going to give him a look.
Anyone questioning McClain’s talent should look no further than his 99-tackle, five sack rookie season. In case you haven’t noticed in the last thirty years, Oakland is not the best place to conquer your demons and almost everyone with character issues who end up with the Raiders don’t get any better until they’ve moved on.
He’s still extremely raw as a talent, and he’s too young to give up on but it seems a change of scenery is exactly what McClain needs to get his NFL career back on track. The only question is, who is going to be willing to take on such a taxing project even at a deep discount?