About eight months ago, rumors began circulating that the Raiders were broke.
How downtrodden were they fiscally? The Raiders had used the No. 1 overall draft pick on quarterback JaMarcus Russell, and speculation was the Raiders couldn't afford to sign him. The team denied it, and Russell was signed after the first game of the season.
No one is calling the Raiders cheap after a spending spree on new acquisitions.
Oakland shelled out contracts worth $178 million among four major acquisitions - the headliner being two-time Pro Bowl cornerback DeAngelo Hall, who was acquired from Atlanta and signed a seven-year deal worth up to $70 million, $24.5 million guaranteed.
But some of the other deals were head scratchers. The amount spent to keep defensive tackle Tommy Kelly ($50.5 million over seven years, $18.125 million guaranteed) baffled league observers, as did the sum for former Pro Bowl wide receiver Javon Walker (six years, $55 million, $16 million guaranteed). Both players are coming off knee injuries.
The reason for the spending is simple: Owner Al Davis is tired of losing. But as Daniel Snyder learned after buying the Washington Redskins, quick turnarounds are not bought. Rather, they're cultivated through good drafting, talent development and the occasional free-agency splash.
Davis, however, isn't waiting for draft picks to develop after five seasons of futility in which on-field losses have mounted and the draft has produced its fair share of misses. He's banking on buying the franchise distance from its recent history.
Since being drilled by former coach Jon Gruden's Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII, the Raiders have compiled a league-worst 19-61 record. One thing the Raiders wanted to do this offseason was retain some of the talent they had developed, which is sound football strategy. What Oakland spent to do that is what many question.
Placing the franchise tag on cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha was expected, as was the $9.465 million Asomugha will earn this season if a long-term deal isn't agreed upon. The three-year deal for running back Justin Fargas that can max out at $14 million with $6 million guaranteed wasn't obscene.
Then came the Kelly deal.
The Raiders did not want to see a player they groomed as an undrafted rookie flourish elsewhere, so they signed Kelly to a deal that would keep him from testing the market. His deal is a record amount for a defensive tackle, although Shaun Rogers and Kris Jenkins later signed deals for more guaranteed money with Cleveland and the New York Jets, respectively.
It's unlikely a team would have made Kelly the league's highest-paid defensive tackle.
But how could Kelly turn down that kind of money, especially coming off surgery to repair his torn right anterior cruciate ligament? While Kelly's checking account grew, so did the ire of teams around the league that knew the price of elite defensive tackles had skyrocketed after Kelly, a player with promise but not one Pro Bowl berth, was paid like an All-Pro.
Davis' fondness for stars of Super Bowl winners is well-documented, so it was no surprise that a New York Giant who filled a need - Gibril Wilson - got a contract that made him football's third-highest-paid safety. But Wilson's six-year, $39 million deal with $16 million guaranteed was nothing compared to the surprising amount given to Walker.
If healthy, Walker, who received an $11 million signing bonus, could be the No. 1 wide receiver the Raiders lost when they dealt Randy Moss for a fourth-round pick last April. But Walker was limited to eight games in 2007 because of a knee injury.
The Raiders also signed former 49ers tackle Kwame Harris, who, after struggling across the bay, could be asked to protect Russell's blind side.
If the moves flop, stories of the Raiders not wanting to pay a high pick won't end with Russell or whomever the team selects next month in the first round - because they'll have a top-five pick again next year.
Read Jason Jones' Raiders blog at www.sacbee.com/blogs.
