The Las Vegas Raiders are restructuring Pro Bowl center Rodney Hudson's contract in the hopes of spreading his cap hit over a number of years.
Las Vegas reportedly converted Hudson's base salary into a signing bonus, freeing $9.28 million in cap space for 2020 as general manager Mike Mayock hopes to build on what has already been a busy offseason (via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk):
Field Yates of ESPN reports that the team has converted $11.6 million of his fully guaranteed base salary into a signing bonus. The move clears $9.28 million of cap space for 2020 and pushes the rest into the future.
Hudson’s contract was set to run through 2022 and Yates reports the restructure has added a pair of voidable years beyond that point as a way to further stretch out the cap hit.
Hudson has arguably been the Raiders' best offensive lineman of the past four years. He has been named to the Pro Bowl in three of those seasons while playing nearly 100 percent of all offensive snaps (he played 15 out of 16 games in 2019).
Not to mention, Hudson is one of the best pass blockers in all of football. He has not allowed a sack since Week 17 of the 2017 season, per Pro Football Focus.
Hudson is an elite center, but his flexibility also gives the Raiders added opportunity to improve the roster as they build for 2020.
Mayock has already signed the likes of Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski to improve the linebacking corps while also inking Nelson Agholor as an upside guy at wide receiver.
The Raiders might look for added depth at cornerback after signing Eli Apple, and restructuring Hudson's contract might allow them to pursue former Tennessee Titans corner, Logan Ryan.