Mar 21, 2008

Raiders acquire a Pro Bowl cornerback

Hall brings baggage, a lot of talent from Falcons for two picks

By Steve Corkran / Bay Area News Group

The Oakland Raiders and veteran cornerback DeAngelo Hall agreed in principle on a seven-year contract that guarantees Hall as much as $25 million and finalizes the completion of a trade that sends the Atlanta Falcons two draft picks, two people involved with the process said.

Hall, 24, and his representatives spent most of Wednesday and the first half of Thursday hammering out the details of a contract that makes Hall one of the league's highest-paid cornerbacks.

Hall and his agents flew to Oakland on Wednesday and commenced face-to-face negotiations with Raiders managing general partner Al Davis. The process resumed Thursday morning and culminated with Hall joining the Raiders.

Hall doesn't come cheap or without baggage. He was involved with several run-ins with then-coach Bobby Petrino last season and also was fined by both the Falcons and the league for transgressions.

In exchange, the Raiders agreed to send the rights to a second-round selection in this year's NFL draft and a fifth-round selection in next year's draft, according to NFL.com. That leaves the Raiders with only five selections this year.

The Raiders now are without a pick in the second, third and fifth rounds. They own the No. 4 pick, one in the fourth round, one in the sixth and two in the seventh.

No one from the Raiders confirmed the deal and there wasn't any mention of it on the team's Web site.
Hall was not made available to the Bay Area media and could not be reached for comment.

The Raiders were adamant about restructuring Hall's contract so they could avoid the prospect of losing him after one season. Hall had two years left on his contract, but he had the option to void the final year and become an unrestricted free agent. If Nnamdi Asomugha signs the one-year tender presented him by the Raiders as their exclusive-franchise tag player, as expected, the Raiders would have a legitimate claim as the team with the league's best cornerback tandem.

Also, Hall and Asomugha would give the Raiders their best cornerback tandem since Eric Allen and Charles Woodson patrolled the secondary from 1998 to 2001, if not since the days of Lester Hayes and Mike Haynes from 1983 to 1986.

Hall is a two-time Pro Bowler regarded as one of the league's premier cover corners. His ability to play man-to-man coverage, along with Asomugha, gives defensive coordinator Rob Ryan the freedom to use his safeties in other capacities.

Hall's arrival is the latest in a slew of moves designed to bolster a Raiders defense that struggled against the run and ranked 22nd overall last season.

The Raiders also re-signed defensive lineman Tommy Kelly and outside linebacker Sam Williams, and they signed defensive tackle William Joseph and safety Gibril Wilson in free agency.

The rash of moves figures to help compensate for the loss of defensive tackle Warren Sapp to retirement and defensive end Chris Clemons - tied with Derrick Burgess for the team lead in sacks with eight - to free agency. Also, the Raiders are expected to dangle cornerbacks Fabian Washington and Stanford Routt in an attempt to garner more draft picks in the coming weeks.