Raiders receiver Seth Roberts gets three-year extension
ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Playing through a double sports hernia and showing up to training camp on time is apparently looked upon better by the Oakland Raiders than holding out.
While Pro Bowl left tackle Donald Penn ended his 26-day holdout last week and returned to the Raiders without his desired new deal, No. 3 receiver Seth Roberts was awarded with a three-year, $12 million extension that includes $6.45 million guaranteed, per ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
Penn and Roberts getting new deals have little to nothing to do with one another. But the optics are hard to ignore.
Roberts did not divulge that he played with the double hernia until training camp. Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said he appreciated players gutting it out through injury but preferred they report it.
"Let's continue to do this #RaiderNation!" Roberts tweeted after the deal was announced Wednesday afternoon. "Thanks to the Davis family and the entire organization for believing in me. 4 Life!"
Roberts, the third undrafted receiver in franchise history to have multiple five-touchdown seasons, is also a talisman of sorts for Oakland. The Raiders are 9-0 whenever the third-year wideout from West Alabama scores a TD.
Playing behind Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree, Roberts has solidified his role in the slot, despite leading the NFL in dropped passes last season with 13, per The Associated Press.
Roberts, 26, said he suffered the injury in camp last year. He still finished with 38 catches for 397 yards and five TDs, including his 41-yard walk-off catch-and-run score in overtime at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8.
He did not score again.
At least, not until he scored a big raise.
Roberts, scheduled to become a restricted free agent after this season, was set to make $650,000 this year, per ESPN Stats & Information. He missed the past two exhibitions with what was described by Del Rio as an illness but practiced on Tuesday.
With Cooper and Crabtree already on the roster and Oakland signing Cordarrelle Patterson this offseason as well as tight end Jared Cook, Roberts gets overlooked at times.
"I don't know why he goes under the radar so much," Raiders quarterback Derek Carr said of Roberts, "but that man has made game-winning catch after big-time play and all these things and it's because he works his tail off. There's no secret. This man goes out there every single day. He puts in the extra work when nobody is watching, he studies his stuff, and he asks me questions."
Roberts said in camp he was done being anonymous.
They need to know who I am," Roberts said with a smile. "I ain't with that flying-under-the-radar [business]. I'm trying to make it happen. I've got a family to provide for."
Entering the day, the Raiders had just over $14.4 million in salary-cap space.
Penn said he returned to Oakland with the promise of talks for a new deal still to come with general manager Reggie McKenzie.Penn purportedly wants his salary to reflect that of a top-10 left tackle.
