Rich

Gannon

The Raiders can postpone his cap hit until next year and will give him all the time he needs to officially retire. Oakland should enter camp with Kerry Collins and Marques Tuiasossopo as their top two QBs.

Gannon wants to meet face to face with Al Davis before deciding anything official. At that point, it’s expected the Raiders will release him, allowing Gannon to retire.

We’ve reported this for months, but the story is making the rounds again because Raiders coach Norv Turner said he won’t be at the team’s minicamp this week.

We reported this a few days ago, but the belief remains widespread throughout football. By naming Gannon the “starter”, they put the onus on him to take the paycut or look disloyal. Gannon’s teammate, Tim Brown, thinks there is no chance Gannon will accept a salary reduction with Kerry Collins present, which would lead to Gannon’s eventual release.

The Raiders are holding on to Gannon for awhile, so what else can the Bucs say? One train of thought believes the Raiders will cut Rich Gannon towards the end of training camp, ala Lawyer Milloy, in an effort to undercut Bucs.

He was a leading candidate to be the team’s QBs coach, but had a change of heart on his flight to Oakland earlier this week. Gannon told The Game 95.7 that he didn’t think he could match Gruden’s intensity and wasn’t sure he could commit to a full-time position. With the former MVP bowing out, the Raiders could opt not to hire a QBs coach. Gannon has provided color commentary for NFL games on CBS since his retirement in 2005.

Gannon has proved doubters wrong with two efficient games. If the running game improves, he could be approaching fantasy starter status in 10 or 12 team leagues.

His patience paid off, as Gannon finished the game strong. If the Raiders start the season slow, however, it wouldn’t be shocking to see a switch.

The team says it’s too early to say whether the fractured vertabrae in Gannon’s neck will force him onto injured reserve.

Coach Norv Turner said it could be anywhere from six weeks to the rest of the season. Kerry Collins will take over at quarterback.