Raiders Reportedly Interested In DE Greg Hardy

Jordan Schultz of the Huffington Post first reported that the Oakland Raiders are in discussions with free agent DE Greg Hardy.

• Schultz estimates that the odds of the Raiders getting a deal in place with Hardy are “60-40.“
• Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has confirmed that the Raiders do, in fact, have interest in Hardy.

Earlier in the week, Mike Freeman of the Bleacher Report spoke to an NFL GM who told him that there are “at least” six teams interested in Hardy.

However, Jason Cole recently reported that Hardy is expected to receive either a one- or two-game suspension from the league for his involvement in a domestic violence incident that was eventually settled out of court.

Cole added that Hardy is still seen as a “highly valuable” commodity and could get as much as $25-$30 million guaranteed in free agency.

The Raiders have plenty of cap space to work with and will need to spend a large portion of it to meet the requirements of the CBA. Adding a pass-rusher of Hardy’s caliber wouldn’t certainly seem like a decent move, assuming their comfortable with him possibly receiving a suspension and his previous off-the-field issues.

Hardy, 26, wound up appearing in just one game and recorded four tackles, one sack, and a forced fumble before he was placed on the commissioners expect list.

Last year, the Panthers used their franchise tag on the defensive end, which paid him a salary of $13.116 million for the 2014 season. However, all indications are that Carolina has moved on and he won’t be back with the team.

We have Hardy listed as the No. 5 player in our Top 100 Free Agents list.