Enough has been enough. Donald Penn’s holdout is ending.
Multiple reports indicate the Raiders’ Pro Bowl left tackle, who has missed all of training camp to date and the first two exhibition games, is ending his self-imposed exile and will return to the team as soon as Tuesday.
Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle notes Penn has been seeking a raise from his 2017 salary of $5.95 million, but that the Raiders weren’t going to renegotiate while Penn was absent.
By returning to camp, Tafur reported “negotiations might pick up.”
Getting Penn back in the offensive lineup means Marshall Newhouse can return to his spot at right tackle, and Vadal Alexander and rookie David Sharpe can get back to work as versatile players able to fill in across the line.
With Penn back, the Raiders are likely to go into Game 1 of the regular season with one of the NFL’s best blocking units, with Penn and Newhouse at the tackles, Kelechi Osemele and Gabe Jackson at guard and Rodney Hudson at center.
Quarterback Derek Carr told Tafur he’s eager to see Penn back in camp, but didn’t want to talk about Penn’s contract requests.
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“Obviously, he’s our teammate. We love him,” Carr said. “We want all of our teammates here. When it comes to another man’s situation, I just stay out of it.”
Penn wants to be one of the NFL’s highest-paid left tackles. Right now, he ranks 23rd for the coming season, according to Tafur.
This past week, Osemele said he hoped Penn would return soon so the Raiders can be fully ready to move the football at peak efficiency in the regular season opener Sept. 10 against the Titans.
“A lot of offensive line (success) is continuity and playing as a unit, so I’ve never seen anybody just step up Week 1 and not go through camp and be in sync with everything,” Osemele told USA Today. “Double teams, that’s the heart of what you do, so getting someone off the ball, that’s what gets the run game going. So to not have someone here when you’re trying to do that, it’s going to be difficult.”
Now, however, Osemele is getting his wish. Penn soon will be in uniform again.
The Raiders will play their third exhibition Saturday in Texas against the Dallas Cowboys.
