The chances of the Pittsburgh Steelers retaining the services of unrestricted free agent wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery diminished a little more on Monday when the Oakland Raiders signed former Green Bay Packers wide receiver James Jones to a three-year contract.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Jones three-year deal totals out at $11.3 million and while the guaranteed money and structure is not yet known, you have to figure that Cotchery will demand, and get, a contract with an average yearly value of at least $3 million.
Last season, Jones caught 59 passes for 817 yards and three touchdowns with the Packers, while Cotchery caught 46 passes for 602 yards and 10 touchdowns with the Steelers. In the supply and demand game of free agency, Cotchery, who is scheduled to meet soon with the Carolina Panthers, should come out a winner.
As of today, the Panthers have six wide receivers under contract for the 2014 season and combined they have caught five passes for 83 yards. They need a veteran like Cotchery and with just under $8 million in available cap space at their disposal, they will likely pay him what he needs to leave Pittsburgh.
While we will all be disappointed should this be the ultimate outcome, nobody deserves it more than Cotchery as this is likely to be the final contract of his long NFL career.
