Austin Howard signs with Raiders

Austin Howard (top) will join Rodger Saffold in Oakland. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) In one day, the Oakland Raiders threw more money at their offensive line

Doug Farrar | Mar 12, 2014

Austin Howard signs with Raiders /

Austin Howard (top) will join Rodger Saffold in Oakland. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

In one day, the Oakland Raiders threw more money at their offensive line than at any other time in franchise history. The success of the moves will be determined over time, but it's quite clear that general manager Reggie McKenzie has a type of player in mind, and he's not shy about paying those who fit the prototype.

Hours after the Raiders shocked the NFL world by giving tackle Rodger Saffold a five-year, $42.5 million deal with $21 million guaranteed, McKenzie doubled down and gave former New York Jets right tackle Austin Howard a five-year, $30 million deal with $15 million guaranteed.

An undrafted free agent out of Northern Iowa, Howard joined the Jets in 2010 and started all 16 games at right tackle in each of the team's last two seasons. In 2012, he allowed 10 sacks, 10 quarterback hits and 31 quarterback hurries, per Pro Football Focus, but improved in 2013. Last season, Howard allowed two sacks (tied for the league lead among qualifying right tackles), 15 hits, and 21 hurries in 1,071 total snaps. He missed only two snaps all season.

Tony Pashos

Published Mar 12, 2014

DOUG FARRAR

SI.com contributing NFL writer and Seattle resident Doug Farrar started writing about football locally in 2002, and became Football Outsiders' West Coast NFL guy in 2006. He was fascinated by FO's idea to combine Bill James with Dr. Z, and wrote for the site for six years. He wrote a game-tape column called "Cover-2" for a number of years, and contributed to six editions of "Pro Football Prospectus" and the "Football Outsiders Almanac." In 2009, Doug was invited to join Yahoo Sports' NFL team, and covered Senior Bowls, scouting combines, Super Bowls, and all sorts of other things for Yahoo Sports and the Shutdown Corner blog through June, 2013. Doug received the proverbial offer he couldn't refuse from SI.com in 2013, and that was that. Doug has also written for the Seattle Times, the Washington Post, the New York Sun, FOX Sports, ESPN.com, and ESPN The Magazine. He also makes regular appearances on several local and national radio shows, and has hosted several podcasts over the years. He counts Dan Jenkins, Thomas Boswell, Frank Deford, Ralph Wiley, Peter King, and Bill Simmons as the writers who made him want to do this for a living. In his rare off-time, Doug can be found reading, hiking, working out, searching for new Hendrix, Who, and MC5 bootlegs, and wondering if the Mariners will ever be good again.