Before the lockout began, the Raiders offered outside linebacker Kamerion Wimbley the franchise tag for 2011, keeping him off the free-agent market. He readily signed the deal, giving him a one-year contract and a salary of the average of the five highest-paid players at the position — a figure that's expected to be around $11.3 million. With the Raiders at or above the expected salary cap already, the large check they're cutting to a good but not great linebacker could be costly. The salary cap is judged by how much a team is spending at year's end, not in Week One, so there is still time for the Raiders to restructure Wimbley's contract to lower the cap hit. With multiple positions of need that have to be addressed, along with bringing back some of its own free agents, Pro Football Weekly hears the team would benefit greatly from giving Wimbley the deal he deserves, not one that exceeds it. Source: Pro Football Weekly
