Raiders linebacker Kamerion Wimbley has been effective for Oakland since the day he arrived from Cleveland. He’s also due $11 million in 2012, a number associated with an elite player.
That presents a conundrum for new Raiders G.M. Reggie McKenzie. Does he see Wimbley as an elite player?
Jason La Canfora of NFL Network reports via a league source that Wimbley, like most NFL players, isn’t interested in a pay cut. It sounds like the Raiders will either have to keep Wimbley at his current salary or release him.
Wimbley’s numbers weren’t overwhelming in 2011. He only had seven sacks last year, and four came against the Chargers’ third-string starter.
We’d argue Wimbley had a better season than the numbers indicated. He consistently pressured the passer and had a boatload of quarterback hurries and hits.
Still, McKenzie said he wanted to get rid of “out of whack” contracts. Wimbley’s true value is somewhere below $11 million. Cutting cornerback Stanford Routt wasn’t that tough of a decision; he was coming off a poor season.
Wimbley is Oakland’s best pass rusher, so choosing whether to (over)pay him or not will be a much tougher call.
Wimbley’s agent Joe Linta was on PFT Live Friday and talked about Wimbley’s future in addition to Joe Flacco’s next contract. So it makes sense to include that video below.
Roll the tape: