NFL Notes: Falcons, Jets & Raiders

Falcons

• D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution expects Falcons WR Julio Jones (toe, questionable) will be “a decoy at best” during Week 14’s game against the Rams.

Jets

• Rich Cimini of ESPN mentions that the Jets have about $166 million committed towards next year’s salary cap, which is expected to be around $166 million.
• However, Cimini says that the Jets can free up $30.4 million by releasing veteran WR Brandon Marshall, C Nick Mangold, OT Breno Giacomini and CB Darrelle Revis, who are all entering the final year of their contracts.
• Cimini adds that the Jets could pick up another $24.6 million of cap space to work with by parting ways with LB David Harris and LT Ryan Clady while trading DL Sheldon Richardson.

Raiders

The city of Oakland announced the details of a stadium plan to keep the Raiders in the Bay Area Friday evening.

“This term sheet agreement puts Oakland in the running to keep the Raiders in a way that is responsible to the team, the league, the fans and the taxpayers,” Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said in the press release, via Pro Football Talk. “Everything the City and County and the investor team is doing is about putting forward the best offer to encourage the Raiders ownership and the NFL to keep the Raiders in Oakland, where the team belongs.”

The press release includes “key elements” of the cities’ plan to the Raiders including:

1. “An economically viable proposal that can keep the team in Oakland and Alameda County with no taxpayer monies, but instead the use of the Coliseum land.”
2. “A professional group of investors to develop the stadium and other associated mixed-use projects to support the cost of the stadium.”
3. “The creation of a major Grand Central station-like development around the property that incorporates and enhances the use of the BART station.”
4. “A location for a new Oakland A’s stadium should the Major League Baseball team determine it wants to remain at the Coliseum site.”

There are still plenty of questions left unanswered following this release including how much the stadium project would cost and how it would be funded.

Recent reports have said that NFL owners are growing weary of Oakland’s plans to keep the team, especially when there is a huge public contribution from Las Vegas waiting for the Raiders.