Coming into the 2013 NFL season, veteran running back Darren McFadden promised the Oakland Raiders franchise and the fans of the team that he would prove his worth in order to sign a long-term deal in the off-season. Unfortunately for McFadden, the window of opportunity to secure his future in Oakland may be close for good.
After suffering yet another injury in the loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, McFadden’s return to the field is under certain moving forward and the veteran may very well be looking for work in the off-season as a result according to Chris Wessling of NFL.com:
Now it appears McFadden’s latest injury might have soured the organization on his potential once and for all.
With Rashad Jennings coming in and filling the
void left by the injury McFadden, it would make sense that the Raiders would have no desire to re-sign the veteran back. Jennings has more rushing yards in the last five games than any running back in the NFL outside of Adrian Peterson and continues to be consistent with more time on the field.
As a result of Jennings’ impressive performance as of late, McFadden has become expendable and will almost certainly not be re-signed by the Raiders once the season comes to a close.
The real question from here on out is if McFadden will play another game for Oakland before hitting the free agent market. McFadden is dealing with an ankle injury that he suffered in the loss to the Cowboys. The timetable for McFadden’s return uncertain leading many to believe that he may be shutdown for the season and as a result played his last game in silver and black.