Raiders Release Center Rodney Hudson; Should Chiefs Be Interested?
The Las Vegas Raiders have released three-time Pro-Bowl center Rodney Hudson in a shocking offseason move. Should the Kansas City Chiefs try to bring Hudson back to Kansas City?
Yes.
...What, do you want more? You can stop reading now if you want. Honestly, I won't be offended. I asked a question and then answered it. Yeah, of course they should.
...Fine, here's why.
Hudson, who will be 32 years old at the start of the 2021 season, started his career in Kansas City after being the Chiefs' second-round pick in 2011. Hudson wasn't a starter until his third year in the league, then he left Kansas City for the Raiders in 2015, where he continued a years-long stretch of performing as one of the best centers in the sport. Hudson's release on Tuesday was met with a chorus of "wait, what?" reactions on Twitter from Chiefs fans, Raiders fans and NFL pundits alike.
Hudson has allowed three sacks on nearly 3,500 pass-blocking snaps dating back to 2015 and would provide a monstrous presence in the middle of the Chiefs' offensive line beside new free-agent acquisition Joe Thuney.
Perhaps the most baffling thing about Hudson's release is that it doesn't do much of anything for the Raiders in 2021. Cutting Hudson just two years after he signed a long-term contract extension will carry a dead cap hit of $7 million in 2021 and $8 million in 2022, despite the fact that he only had a $9.9 million salary for the 2021 season.
Anyway, back to the Chiefs.
As much as I personally have advocated for the Chiefs' big offensive line signings to come on the edges (or at least at left tackle with redshirt rookie Lucas Niang likely at right tackle), I'd be excited to see Hudson return to Kansas City to line up in front of Patrick Mahomes, especially as the Chiefs seem to be letting their previous starting center, Austin Reiter, walk in free agency. With a potential interior offensive line of Joe Thuney, Rodney Hudson and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, it would be as good of a supporting cast as any rookie tackle duo could ask for.
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