Running back Darren McFadden’s agent plans to talk to the Raiders about his client’s future. McFadden’s agent may not like what he hears.
The 12 interviews taped for Pro Football Talk on NBCSN at Lucas Oil Stadium on Thursday included Raiders coach Dennis Allen, and Allen suggested that Rashad Jennings is more likely to remain a Raider than McFadden.
When listing the team’s priority free agents, Allen specifically mentioned Jennings, who joined the team in 2013 on a one-year deal. Allen didn’t mention McFadden, a first-round pick on 2008 whose rookie contract is expiring.
Allen acknowledged that the Raiders would like to keep McFadden, but that the question of whether he stays could be driven by his market value, which surely will be driven by his injury history. To fully determine his market value, McFadden may have to hit the market.
For a while in the latter stages of the 2013, many believed Allen would be hitting the market in a different way. Allen explained that he gave no thought to the outside chatter about his status, but he said earlier in the discussion that he knows the Raiders must make a move in his third season as coach.
The Raiders are closer than many realize to turning things around. At a time when too many teams are too impatient with their coaches, it was smart for owner Mark Davis to stick with Allen. Otherwise, he could have ended up being the franchise’s next Mike Shanahan, winning a Super Bowl with another team -- possibly in the same division.
