Jon Gruden’s Raiders are the oldest NFL roster in years

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Jon Gruden is bringing the Over The Hill Gang back together.

Gruden has assembled the oldest 53-man roster in the NFL in years.

Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com, who has been calculating the average age of every opening-day NFL roster since 2012, reports that the Raiders’ average age of 27.4 years is the oldest roster as far back as his records go.

It’s been a strange offseason for Gruden, the head coach who also has final say over personnel. He has targeted several older players in free agency, and acquisitions of younger players, like 26-year-old receiver Martavis Bryant, haven’t panned out.

The decision to trade away pass rusher Khalil Mack has been widely criticized by Raiders fans, although that trade did bring in two first-round draft picks. Gruden needs those picks, because he’s going to need some young talent when all his older players reach the end of the line.

99 responses to “Jon Gruden’s Raiders are the oldest NFL roster in years

  1. It’s an unorthodox strategy. Clearly they are rebuilding. Given his contract status, Gruden probably figures that he has some time to get the roster he wants.

  2. Grudens not stupid, he doesn’t want to be heading to Vegas next year with a bunch of young guys.

  3. There either was a locker room divide before Gruden and he’s figuring he’s doing his best to weed it out or now there is a locker room divide after this active offseason. Just an opinion.

  4. Gruden sees himself as a God.

    He will build this team in his image.

    I am officially worried after the Martavis Bryant trade and Khalil Mack trade. Reggie did not want to trade Mack. Gruden has unchecked power. In politics, this would be detrimental to the nation. In Football, this is the Raiders ive come to know.

  5. You keep saying the raider fans are mad about Mack. I’m not. I would love to have him but at least they got value for a guy that wasn’t going to show up and while he’s not overpaid he is a cap killer for whoever has him.

  6. As an Oakland Raiders fan I think it’s time to say goodbye.

    The Raiders have no interest in winning the Superbowl the next two years.

    I feel played by Gruden. Cool, we have 4 1st round picks but they will all be playing for the Las Vegas Raiders.

  7. This is going to be one of the worst teams in football this season. He’s taken a bad team with some potential for improvement and removed the potential. Now they’re just bad.

  8. Does this mean a Woodson come back isn’t ruled out? The old guys need some mentoring lol. I kid I kid.

  9. The Raiders are stockpiling draft picks, so they’re about to get younger. The last time I checked, the super bowl trophy wasn’t handed out according to the age of your roster. Gruden is setting his team up for the next decade or more. From the looks of those draft picks he’s accumulating, he’s off to a good start. I think back to some of the dynasties. Tom Landry. Chuck Noll. Bill Walsh. Jimmy Johnson. Those guys had horrible first years. They were building something great, and it doesn’t always happen overnight. They suffered through a lot of criticism until the Lombardi trophies started piling up. But also, Gruden is undefeated so far. He hasn’t lost a game.

  10. I think guys like Fadol Brown, Mo Hurst, P.J. Hall, and Arden Key are poised to make a big splash this year. They will be instant contributors.
    I don’t think the team is in total “rebuild mode”. The Raiders will be ok this year. If the rookies over achieve, the team could REALLY surprise.
    I’m more disappointed with that boneheaded Bryant and CM3’s season ending injury than I am with the trade.
    I really thought Martin III was going to be a big bruiser like Brandon Jacobs. Gruden over-used him and wasted him in the preseason. smh

  11. Gruden will destroy the Raiders just like he tore apart the Bucs. He lies to his team about contracts and playing time. Just ask Keenan Mccardell, he’ll tell you all about it. This guy is a cancerous tumor for building a team. Psst… Raiders…IT’S NOT GOING TO WORK OUT. He will loose the locker room by the end of the 12th game.

  12. This is like when Shanahan took over the Skins in 2010 and we had 38-year-old Joey Galloway starting. This will not end well.

  13. I doubt that Mack sees the back end of that deal. He will likely have to take a pay cut if Trubisky ends up succeeding. Thus, Mack could be in the same situation in 3-4 yrs as he was last week.
    I wouldn’t be surprised if Khalil Mack finishes his career back with the Raiders, like Charles Woodson did. AND Mack would end up playing with the players whom the Raiders drafted with the picks they received in this trade.
    Things are not so bad.

  14. That Gruden converted the Raiders into the oldest (and one of the least talented) NFL teams with lightening speed comes as no surprise to me as I’m very familiar with his M.O.

    What is tragic for me as a Raider fan is that after 13 years in the doldrums the Silver & Black finally looked like they had emerged just 2 years ago as a rising team with a lot of good young talent with Mack as the central cornerstone. I was looking forward to watching them compete for fair period of time in the postseason but now they are back to being among the league’s doormats.

    I have to believe that those who wish the Raiders to do poorly are huge backers of what Gruden has been doing. And the blame for inflicting Lynch and Gruden onto the Raiders as publicity stunts rests squarely with Son-of-Al.

  15. As a Raiders fan, I have no problems with any of these moves. Sure, losing Mack hurt but if it took what he signed with the Bears for to “feel wanted”…I’m good with that. Clearly he was looking out for #1 and he did well for himself…CONGRATS!!!

    Going to miss you Mack, you’ll be one of the Greats. Don’t forget…you can always pull a Woodson and come back for a few victory laps.

    One Nation

  16. vancouversportsbro says:
    September 2, 2018 at 3:49 pm

    How is Marshawn Lynch still on the team yet he cuts all these other guys?

    ===============

    Lynch would not be on the roster of ANY other NFL team but he is an untouchable sacred cow for the Raiders because of the owner. Lynch (like Gruden) were brought to the Raiders by Son-of-Al for the sole purpose of bamboozling the Oakland fans before the move to Vegas occurs. The fact that they are both detrimental to the team was never a consideration.

  17. This guy Gruden is a farce! His ineptitude will be exposed. Just look at his past. He hasn’t really done anything of note. He luckily won one Super Bowl. Lucky not only because he inherited arguably one of the top 10 defenses of all time in Tampa, but because he literally HAD THE OPPOSING TEAMS PLAYBOOK in said Super Bowl. Since that lucky day, he has a .517 record as a head coach, with only 2 playoff appearances (one with 9-7 record) and ZERO playoff wins. MEDIOCRITY at its’ best. This guy sucks and I hate that my Raiders hired this guy!

  18. 27!!! Oh no say it isn’t so! Good grief, seriously? That means most went through their rookie contract…that isn’t old. 30? Ooooh the horror! Again, sorry that isn’t that old. Most players have a few good years left at that age and that’s all you need. This is over dramatizing the entire thing. We all have no clue how it will pan out…they win 10 games or more and people instantly will think of aomeyhing elsr to complain about. 8 or less and maybe the world is coming to an end…it is not. Football is unpredictable.

  19. OMG grow up people I Love My Raiders,Mack was a great player and will be missed however Reggie blew the last 3 drafts and Gruden is cleaning up his mess

  20. The Gruden hate is hilarious. Much like Parcells, Belichek and many other Championship coaches, Gruden is adding some trusted Vets to the roster while he builds his system and gets the Raiders where they need to be long term. This is why he has that huge ring on his finger, because unlike all the armchair experts he has been there, won that when it comes to Super Bowls.

  21. You can tell they’re really old by all the empty tubes of “Just For Men” dreadlocks coloring littering the Raiders locker room.

  22. nomesayin says:
    September 2, 2018 at 4:02 pm
    I doubt that Mack sees the back end of that deal. He will likely have to take a pay cut if Trubisky ends up succeeding. Thus, Mack could be in the same situation in 3-4 yrs as he was last week.
    I wouldn’t be surprised if Khalil Mack finishes his career back with the Raiders, like Charles Woodson did. AND Mack would end up playing with the players whom the Raiders drafted with the picks they received in this trade.
    Things are not so bad.
    ————
    Do you understand how guaranteed money works? he’s getting $60 million to sign and $90 million guaranteed. So no, he won’t find himself in the same situation he was in last week.

  23. Goddammit Florio you know so little about statistics that you don’t know that Kempski’s, ahem, methods are flawed enough to be fraud?

    What’s that, you say? using the same flawed statistic over time might be useful as an index as long as the bias is systematic over the time period sampled?

    You may be right, but there is no way to know that you are right, (unlike Brady’s football’s, which actual, honest statistics tell us were not likely to be deflated by weather conditions, the misapplied Ideal Gas Law, or wishful thoughts, and so, we can, in fact, KNOW that you are wrong on that one, and probably this one too)

  24. I’m glad Mack got out of there. Gruden is a relic and will be a pain in the arse to get rid of. Worst of all they are moving to Vegas. The Raiders are dead. I’m sorry to the good people of Oakland and the not so good people of LA.

  25. It’s funny how everyone is acting like Reggie was killing it before gruden got to town. How many 2nd round picks had the teamhung onto in the last 4 drafts? 1. And you don’t think that contributes to the average age? Not defending gruden at all, but Reggie shares the most blame here. The Mack trade was a non starter. Anyone who wanted to keep Mack at that price, with Carr’s contract and Cooper coming next year doesn’t understand the mechanics of a salary cap. You can’t have 3 players account for 30% of your cap. Not an option. Getting those picks from chicago was a coup.

  26. You people pissing and moaning dont understand how this works. Yeah they wanted Mack ,But they could not afford him. Simply put when he signs the contract he (Mark) has to cut a check for all the gauranteed Money and put it in escrow. He simply does not have the cash. after paying Carr and Relocation Fees he is cash poor till he relocates to Vegas. where his networth will instantly Double. Simple Economics

  27. Enoug,who cares if they win with it??..It won’t matter,stop with the ignorant hate already..It’s old now!.

    Concentrate on your own team issues.

  28. Everyone saying he’s stockpiling draft picks. How about having that 3rd back he used to trade for a suspect WR that was some second hand smoke away from a year long ban. Horrible

  29. Going to be so satisfying watching Gruden destroy the NFL like he did the last time he was in Oakland

  30. His teams were that way the first time around. I remember Rick Goslin writing every year that they were too old. He was eventually right, but they won three division titles first. I know Gruden wasn’t there for the 3rd title, but he built that team. I am a Raider fan for life, 50+ years, and I have NEVER been as worried about the direction of this team as I am now. However, I will give Gruden some time. What choice do I have.

  31. It makes sense. He hasn’t coached in 10 years and he hasn’t been efffective in almost 15 years in the NFL.

    The participation trophy generation has arrived at the NFL while Gruden was out of coaching. If he is going to succeed, he needs vets that haven’t been pampered and feel entitled. – Those are few and far between.

    My guess is Gruden is going to realize he will have to change his way by 2020…or this will be one of the biggest coaching hire blunders in NFL history.

    Simply because it is a 10-year contract.

  32. raiderfool says:
    September 2, 2018 at 4:49 pm
    Enoug,who cares if they win with it??..It won’t matter,stop with the ignorant hate already..It’s old now!.

    Concentrate on your own team issues
    ————————————

    Hahahaha. This is hilarious for some reason.

  33. “It’s an interesting strategy Cotton, let’s see how it works out for them” Pepper Brooks

  34. George Allen’s Washington teams were called the Over the Hill Gang. And they made the playoffs in 5 of Allen’s 7 years including a Super Bowl trip. The last Gruden Raiders team lead by Rich Gannon was pretty old and veteran laden as well. And they went to the Super Bowl to face Gruden’s Tampa team the same year Al Davis traded Gruden.

    27.4 years average age is a meaningless number. In 2007 the average NFL starting lineup was 27.4 years old.

  35. OMG, that is so old, oh my, what ever will the Raiders do, they are so old, oh my, 27 is so old, oh my, what will they do….. Who cares what the age is…. Does it really matter, either they produce on the field or they don’t.

    Meanwhile LeVeon Bell still hasn’t signed… seems like more of a story than how old the Raiders are perhaps…

  36. latinlover11 says:
    September 2, 2018 at 3:40 pm
    It’s an unorthodox strategy. Clearly they are rebuilding. Given his contract status, Gruden probably figures that he has some time to get the roster he wants.
    ——————————-

    We all saw what happened once he got the roster he wanted in Tampa
    #yikes

  37. Let’s be honest the only reason Gruden won a Super Bowl is because he was handed the keys to a fully loaded team that Dungy helped build. After their Super Bowl win Chucky started messing with the roster and the Bucs tanked.

    I feel sorry for the loyal fans in Oakland they deserve better, but in a few years Las Vegas will inherit this mess.

  38. shadywarrior says:
    September 2, 2018 at 4:32 pm
    Breaking: Rich Gannon spotted at baggage claim at Oakland International Airport

    —————

    Based on what I saw last season, this should be considered a positional updgrade.

  39. Well first of all, as a Bears fan thanks for Mack. 2 1st rounders for a proven All Pro player, I’ll take it. As far as the cap goes, Pace is not out of money yet. 3 or 4 years from now we may have issues keeping some guys around but there is a lot that can happen between now and then.

    I can tell you being a fan of a perpetually rebuilding team sucks. Phil Emery put the Bears back in time 10 years. Pace has done what he needs to do to at least make us competitive. I’m not screaming that we are going to win anything like some other posters do but we will piss some teams off this year and start moving toward far more respectability then what we have had over the last decade.

    Raiders seemed like they were on the rise then bailed once they could get Gruden. People are on the Bears case for Mack’s contract. Gruden’s contract? That was utter stupidity for a guy that hasn’t done anything for years. At least Mack has a few recent Pro Bowls. I like the trade. Good luck Raider Nation and I mean that sincerely.

  40. Hate to break out the math, but a 26 year old isn’t going to materially change the average of 27.4. For a 53 man roster, 26 year olds would only move the average age by about .17 years if a 35 year old replaced him.

  41. r8r4life says:
    September 2, 2018 at 5:26 pm
    All you fools should worry about your own team…Gruden has forgot more football than any of you know…just go away

    —————

    The Raiders will be lucky to take 3rd place in the division. Good times!

  42. Lots of excuses but this is what happens when a guy is 10 years out of the league. Calling games and having QB camps is far removed from the decade of evolution in the game. The Raiders were building something with their youth movement, had a good season, got full of themselves, let a bunch of those guys go and brought in “upgrades” in coordinators and older players. Cost Del Rio his job. Now this guy here is accelerating the dismantling of a team that had potential.

  43. Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com, who has been calculating the average age of every opening-day NFL roster in 2012, reports that the Raiders’ average age of 27.4 years is the oldest roster as far back as his records go.

    poor sentence construction and small sample size doesn’t mean much

  44. There is NOTHING worse when you have an old team that stinks, at least if you are a young team you have hope that these youngsters will develop into good players, but when you are the leagues oldest team and probably the leagues worst team (yes even worse than Cleveland), then that leaves no hope for the Faiders and their fans……just move baby…VIVA LAS VEGAS!

  45. As a Bears fan, let me say something to Raider Nation. First off, thanks for Khalil Mack. Second off- damn you for drafting Cooper 1 spot before us and we got stuck with White. All that aside. Your team has to be bad before it can get good. By getting rid of Mack and getting draft stock in return- your team is trying to plan for the future. You do not want to linger is mediocrity for years (as a fan- this is PAINFUL). You want to scrape the surface and start with a young core and THEN add the pieces you need. With the salary cap, typically teams win with a good YOUNG CORE not a bunch of old guys who are making more than their worth. Take this trade as a sign of good things to come. Good luck.

  46. tdubdizzle says:
    September 2, 2018 at 3:46 pm
    As an Oakland Raiders fan I think it’s time to say goodbye.

    The Raiders have no interest in winning the Superbowl the next two years.

    I feel played by Gruden. Cool, we have 4 1st round picks but they will all be playing for the Las Vegas Raiders.
    —————————————————————————-
    The Raiders were a bottom ranked defense last year. I suppose you want to see them break the bank for Mack, so they cannot plug the other holes?

  47. 667s650w says:
    September 2, 2018 at 6:10 pm
    Let’s be honest the only reason Gruden won a Super Bowl is because he was handed the keys to a fully loaded team that Dungy helped build. After their Super Bowl win Chucky started messing with the roster and the Bucs tanked.

    ——–

    Okay cool, let’s be honest then.

    Being honest, Dungy was not at any point the GM in Tampa Bay. He had little to do with the roster being built, many players were in fact inherited BY Dungy as well when he did absolutely nothing with said roster. The same way he inherited a Championship Offense and roster in Indianapolis and did nothing with it for years until a fluke play got him to the SB.

    Continuing being honest, Gruden took an old Bucs squad to the SB against… The Raiders squad HE built before going to Tampa Bay. You know, before having to strip Tampa Bays roster down to bare bones due to massive salary cap issues having to rebuild from scratch. Even still they were back in the playoffs rather quickly during that rebuild.

    The mythology surrounding the baseless Gruden hate is absolutely hilarious.

  48. 1) 2007 and 2008 biggest collapses in history Reyes hit under 200 during both collapses and made everyone lose focus and urgency .
    2) the blue jays were under 500 with reyes then they got rid of him and they started to win and went to the ALCS 2 years in a row
    3) after the Rockies aquired reyes in 2015 they got 20 games worse that same year
    4)The Marlins got rid of Reyes in the first year of a 5 year contract
    5)2017 mets underachieving disaster 22 games under 500 with Reyes
    6)2018 once again disaster, overall 43 games under 500 since Reyes returned
    Reyes is the rare athlete that infects guys around him his laughing and overall personality doesn’t allow guys to have the right mindset to perform at their highest capabilities which is why the biggest collapses in history happened with Reyes . it’s been 2 decades of the same disaster result.

  49. Let’s see…

    1) The Raiders will travel more than any other team in the
    league…again.

    2) The Raiders have the oldest roster seen in years.

    3) They just relieved themselves of a generational pass rusher.

    4) The Raiders now must wait until 2021 or 2022, at least, to see where
    this trade/strategy has left them.

    I want to be stoked, but I am not stoked.

    Time to pull a rabbit out of the hat, Gruden.

  50. Given how huge their guaranteed money for some of the players is getting, at what point will the “poorer” owners be forced to either field marginal talent or sell their teams?

  51. Ok the average is between 25-26. 27.4 isn’t that much older. I’m surprised this is a historical high average. 27 years is like the prime age for most football players

  52. I dare faider fans to go look at Grudens drafting history in Tampa. DARE YOU.

    The league joke continues…

  53. taintedsaints2009 says:
    September 2, 2018 at 7:32 pm
    Ok the average is between 25-26. 27.4 isn’t that much older. I’m surprised this is a historical high average. 27 years is like the prime age for most football players

    ——————-

    The vast majority of players in the league last 3 years. This is the oldest roster in the Super Bowl era.

  54. I feel like the packers forged a report of their interest in Mack so a stupid division rival like the bears would jump on the opportunity to trade hella picks and give hella money up for one guy. Smart packers dumb bears

  55. Imagine if Gruden put his talents for selling snake oil into oh ummm being a used car salesman?

  56. 667s650w says:
    September 2, 2018 at 6:10 pm
    Let’s be honest the only reason Gruden won a Super Bowl is because he was handed the keys to a fully loaded team that Dungy helped build. After their Super Bowl win Chucky started messing with the roster and the Bucs tanked.

    ================

    To be fully honest, Gruden won with a Bucs roster that Dungy failed to win with. A roster that Dungy didn’t build.

    And to be further honest, we all know the only reason Dungy has a SB ring is because he was lucky enough to land Manning. Yet Dungy only won one in all those years with Manning, while Manning won another just a couple years after leaving the Colts.

    And as for Gruden, both of the teams he had coached met in the SB. Can’t think of when that has ever happened.

  57. I dare faider fans to go look at Grudens drafting history in Tampa. DARE YOU!
    ________
    Yep. He had 61 picks and only 2 made the Pro Bowl.

  58. Not bad to be compared to the over the hill gang. 5 playoff appearances and a super bowl in 7 years is not bad.
    Oakland fans would take that in a heartbeat.

  59. charliecharger says:
    September 2, 2018 at 3:49 pm

    The Raiders are stockpiling draft picks, so they’re about to get younger. The last time I checked, the super bowl trophy wasn’t handed out according to the age of your roster. Gruden is setting his team up for the next decade or more. From the looks of those draft picks he’s accumulating, he’s off to a good start. I think back to some of the dynasties. Tom Landry. Chuck Noll. Bill Walsh. Jimmy Johnson. Those guys had horrible first years. They were building something great, and it doesn’t always happen overnight. They suffered through a lot of criticism until the Lombardi trophies started piling up. But also, Gruden is undefeated so far. He hasn’t lost a game.

    ====================================================================================================

    Buddy he hasn’t won a game yet, either.

  60. The Redskins under George Allen used to be called the Over The Hill gang. Jon Gruden is not headed in that direction when he traded Mack for draft picks.

  61. Gruden has to feel he doesn’t have the roster to compete for a ring. He stole the Browns playbook on tanking. Trading Mack for a couple of 1’s should turn into at least three early picks. Coupling your own top pick in the draft (between 1-5) because your team stinks and you start to build your future.

  62. This is Grudems M.O. Anybody remember about 2001 when he had a 40 year old Rich Gannon at QB, with 40 year olds Tim brown and Jerry Rice at wide receiver, 40 year old cornerback Eric Allen and 35 yo running back Charlie Garner?

  63. tdubdizzle says:

    September 2, 2018 at 3:46 pm

    As an Oakland Raiders fan I think it’s time to say goodbye.

    The Raiders have no interest in winning the Superbowl the next two years.

    I feel played by Gruden. Cool, we have 4 1st round picks but they will all be playing for the Las Vegas Raiders.
    ——————
    Don’t let the door hit ya….

    -Raider fan (Oklahoma resident since birth)

  64. James Jackson says:

    September 3, 2018 at 11:19 am

    This is Grudems M.O. Anybody remember about 2001 when he had a 40 year old Rich Gannon at QB, with 40 year olds Tim brown and Jerry Rice at wide receiver, 40 year old cornerback Eric Allen and 35 yo running back Charlie Garner?
    ——————–
    Great times!

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