The Oakland Raiders' offseason commitment to the offensive line continues.
This time it includes paying one of their incumbents.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Friday that the Raiders are signing center Rodney Hudson to a three-year, $33.75 million contract extension that will make him the highest-paid center in the NFL, per a source informed of the deal. Hudson gets $24.4 million in guarantees. The team later confirmed the extension.
Pelissero adds that Hudson's existing $8.25 million salary for 2019 now becomes fully guaranteed, and another $16.5 million of his deal becomes fully guaranteed on the third day of the 2020 waiver period.
All this numerical jargon is to say: The Raiders locked down their starting center.
A 2011 second-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs, Hudson has been the Raiders' starting center the past four seasons after switching sides of the division rivalry.
The 30-year-old center is always on the field, missing just three games since 2012, and has been among the best pivots in the NFL the past several seasons. In fact, he graded out as Pro Football Focus' top pass-blocking center in the entire league last season.
New general manager Mike Mayock has made the offensive line a priority since taking over. He paid huge money to tackle Trent Brown and took a risk bringing in guard Richie Incognito. Now he's paying one of the NFL's top centers in line with his worth.
