Free agency doesn’t get underway for another month, but Raiders left tackle Jared Veldheer is troubled by the slow pace of talks with the Raiders about a new contract.
Veldheer can become a free agent next month and has said that he wants to remain in Oakland. The team has sent the same message, but Veldheer said on 95.7 The Game that “a little bit of urgency from the other side would be nice” when it comes to actual discussions about a deal that would keep Veldheer in a Raiders uniform.
“It’s tough when that kind of stuff happens, because it goes against everything that’s been said about being a cornerstone of the team that [they’re] going to build around,” Veldheer said, via CSNBayArea.com. “It doesn’t back up those words with the right action. Right now it’s kind of, not at a stand still, but there’s not a lot happening. I think that we need to move things on a little quicker. There isn’t enough urgency, to put it in a football term.”
Whatever the pace right now, it’s hard to believe that the Raiders will let Veldheer get away. There’s plenty of cap space to keep Veldheer, even if the Raiders have to wind up using the franchise tag to assure he remains in Oakland while the clock keeps running on their chance to reach a long-term extension.