The Oakland Raiders signed Pro Bowl fullback Marcel Reece to a record contract extension Friday. The three-year deal is worth $13.2 million with $7.2 million guaranteed.
What, you were expecting Joe Flacco money?
Reece’s contract is record for fullbacks. He will make an average of a little more than $4.25 million a season. The money may seem high for his position, but it’s a great move by Oakland to lock him up.
The Raiders are currently in a massive rebuild. One of the jobs of the new regime is to find a core group of players to build the team around. Reece is exactly that kind of player . He has spent his entire career in Oakland and at 28-years-old is just entering his prime.
The Raiders made sure he was going to stick around.
Marcel Reece got a record contract for his position because there was no way the Raiders could afford to let him go. He is a vital part of the offense and is not just used in blocking.
Last season Reece ran for 271 yards and averaged 4.6 yards a carry. He also had 496 receiving yards. Expect those numbers to rise this year as Darren McFadden gets the ball less.
McFadden had a career low 3.3 yards per rush last season and only played in 12 games. In fact, because of injuries, McFadden has only played 58 out of a possible 81 games in his career. The Run DMC experiment in Oakland should be coming to an end as the team looks to move forward.
Here’s a video showing exactly what Marcel Reece means to the Oakland Raiders:
http://youtu.be/nwd66Ae2q9U
Oakland fans should be excited to have Reece in town for another three years. Pairing him up with a promising Terrelle Pryor gives the Raiders a bright future after too many dim seasons.
Do you think Marcel Reece deserved a record contract?
[image via Wikimedia Commons ]