Raiders begin to maul free agency with mega deal

The Oakland Raiders have made Kelechi Osemele the highest paid guard in league history.

Osemele and the Raiders reached an agreement in principal with an average value of over $10 million per year, sources confirmed, that should keep the offensive mauler in Silver in Black through the peak of his career.

For context, the highest paid guard in the NFL, based on average annual value, is Mike Iupati, after signing a deal with the Arizona Cardinals last year that is set to pay $8 million per season.

Osemele’s primary position is left guard, a spot currently held by Gabe Jackson. The newest Raiders lineman, though, has experience at left tackle as well.

Sources have indicated to SFBay that there is still hope that the Raiders will retain the services of incumbent left tackle Donald Penn, who is set to hit the free agent market Wednesday afternoon.

If the two parties can reach an agreement, the Raiders offensive line would be one of the best in the league, if past performance is the best indicator, and Oakland would remain in position to contact other big name players for another mega deal or two.

Jason Leskiw is SFBay’s Oakland Raiders beat writer and member of the Professional Football Writers of America. Follow @SFBay and @LeskiwSFBay on Twitter and at SFBay.ca for full coverage of the Oakland Raiders.