The Raiders just got left tackle Jared Veldheer back in the lineup after he tore his triceps in August and they don’t want to risk losing him in the future.
Veldheer can be an unrestricted free agent after the season, but the Raiders are already working to make sure that he isn’t playing anywhere but Oakland in 2014.
“They’re in talks right now,” Veldheer said in an interview with 95.7 FM, via CSNBayArea.com. “I’m not worried about that. I’m worried about finishing the year out and playing these last four games. I want to help this team as much as possible and to help turn that page and get going where we need to go. I believe that, if I handle that and play as well as I can play, good things will follow there. I’m really hoping and I’m pretty confident that I’ll continue to keep playing in Oakland.”
There weren’t many successes in the personnel department in the final years of Al Davis’ life, but Veldheer was one of them. The 2010 third-round pick from Hillsdale College has been a starter since his rookie year, turning in consistently strong performances for an offense that was often in flux around him.
Veldheer picked up where he left off on Thanksgiving as he held Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Ware in check in his first game action of the season, which is just another reason why his days in silver and black are likely to continue indefinitely.