The Oakland Raiders have managed to restructure the contract of offensive lineman Mike Brisiel, according to the Associated Press. Brisiel was due $4.35 million in base salary in 2013, but the Raiders, who are struggling through cap issues, managed to reduce the cap hit by $3 million.
Mike Brisiel restructures contract for Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders saved about $3 million against the 2013 salary cap by restructuring Mike Brisiel’s deal.
Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
They were able to do this by converting the $3 million into a guaranteed roster bonus paid next week, presumably when the new league year begins on March 12.
As noted by Silver and Black Pride, some thought that the Raiders might actually cut Brisiel after he struggled through his first season with the team in 2012. He signed a five-year, $20 million contract as a free agent, but was limited by injuries and generally played under expectations last season.
Brisiel did have major surgery on his ankle this offseason to try and alleviate some of the issues that caused his play to decline a season ago.
Going forward, Brisiel will likely continue to be a starter on Oakland’s line with this move. Unfortunately for him, the team is moving to a power running scheme as opposed to the zone blocking scheme in which he’s comfortable.
Oakland still has cap issues and are only about $1.5 million under the 2013 salary cap after factoring in this move. To have room for free agent signings and rookie signings, they'll need to clear out some more space or suffer penalties like the Washington Redskins did last season.
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