The Las Vegas Raiders are set to place their wager on Byron Jones. According to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Raiders will make a run at signing Jones in free agency, another suitor for the Dallas Cowboys cornerback.
The Raiders' chances of landing Jones are strong, considering the projected $50.3 million in salary cap space available (per Over the Cap) and the franchise's willingness to attract big name players to Sin City. Las Vegas will have a new practice facility in Henderson that is set to be completed over the summer and have a state of the art stadium set to open this fall. Jones has the opportunity to become one of the faces of the franchise in Las Vegas, despite the Raiders only having one playoff appearance since a Super Bowl XXXVII loss after the 2002 season.
Jones' free agency market has been hot over the past few weeks as plenty of teams have a need for the top cornerback on the market. The Philadelphia Eagles are expected to be the "most aggressive" team to pursue Jones, but the New York Giants are also in the mix. A source told CBS Sports's Patrik Walker former Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett (now Giants offensive coordinator) is expected to nudge Joe Judge and Dave Gettleman in Jones' direction.
Jones is expected to command around $16 million a season, making him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL. That honor currently belongs to Xavien Howard, who makes $15.05 million a year after signing a five-year, $75.25 million deal with the Miami Dolphins last May.
Per Walker, the Cowboys will cap Jones' offer at around $12.5 million per year, perhaps even nudging to $13 million per season on a four-year deal. Given Jones' market, that won't be enough to get a deal done in Dallas.
