Stanford Routt felt the Raiders love Wednesday despite starting only one game last year.
Middle linebacker Kirk Morrison, who has led the team in tackles for five straight seasons, was not so lucky. Adam Schefter reports the team extended an “original pick” tender to Morrison, meaning any interested team would only have to give up a third-rounder if they signed him away.
Make no mistake, the Raiders would love for that to happen.
Morrison is due $2.5 million next season and would have made the exact same money if he got the second round tender. (It’s explained well here by the Oakland Tribune.)
Essentially, the Raiders placed a lower tender on Morrison despite no financial savings. They wanted to create the highest chance for a trade and knew no one would give up a second-round pick for him
Morrison could get an offer sheet, and then everyone’s happy. If not, he’ll have to return to a team he knows didn’t want him back.
UPDATE: The Raiders tendered linebacker Ricky Brown at a second-round level. He was an undrafted player, so they needed to go that high to keep him.