Stanford Routt was released by the Raiders and now he's signed with the division-rival Chiefs.
The Oakland Raiders released cornerback Stanford Routt in early February in a salary cutting move, but the free agent cornerback has drawn quite a bit of interest in free agency. It seems Routt could be finding a new home soon, according to a report by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
On Sunday morning, we reported that former Raiders cornerback Stanford Routt will soon be picking his next team. We now expect that decision to be finalized and formalized today.
Routt has reportedly drawn interest from the Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, Cincinnati Bengals and the Dallas Cowboys. He has already made official visits to the Chiefs, Bills and Bengals. Florio seems to indicate the Chiefs are the leader in the clubhouse for Routt, as they play Oakland twice a year and that could be a big selling point for the former Raider.
For more on Stanford Routt, stick to this StoryStream. For more on the Oakland Raiders offseason, visit SB Nation's Raiders blog Silver And Black Pride.
Free agent cornerback Stanford Routt has been touring the country looking for a landing spot ever since being released from the Oakland Raiders earlier this month. He has already visited the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs, and has also shown interest in the Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys. Now you can add the Cincinnati Bengals to that list.
Jason La Canfora reports that Routt was in Cincinnati on Friday to talk with the team.
Stanford Routt making his latest free agent visit today, in Cincy. Was in Buffalo and KC earlier this week. #insideslant
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) February 17, 2012
Corners Adam Jones and Kelly Jennings will become unrestricted free agents at the start of free agency, potentially leaving the Bengals with gaps to fill in the secondary. Cincinnati ranked in the middle of the NFL pack against the pass, giving up an opponent quarterback rating of 85.0 over the course of the regular season.
For more on the Bengals, head over to the SB Nation blog Cincy Jungle.
Free agency doesn't start until March 13 but we already have a name on the market generating interest -- CB Stanford Routt. The Oakland Raiders released him on Thursday and already he has two visits scheduled with the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans.
His agent tells ESPN Dallas that three more teams have reached out about his client -- Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys.
The Chiefs have a cornerback, Brandon Carr, scheduled for free agency, but they want to keep him. The Cowboys interest in Routt is interesting when you consider Terance Newman's role on the team. ESPN Dallas says he could be released to save cash.
Routt signed a five-year deal with the Raiders last year before getting released on Thursday.
For more on the Raiders' off-season moves, pay attention to Silver And Black Pride.
The Oakland Raiders made the somewhat surprising decision to release CB Stanford Routt just one year into a five-year contract he signed last year. This means that Routt becomes an unrestricted free agent eligible to sign with any team and he's already setting up visits with potential suitors.
ESPN's Josina Anderson reports via Routt's agent that the former Raider already has visits set up with the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans. Both teams make sense for Routt, especially the Titans who could lose Cortland Finnegan in free agency.
There are a lot of good cornerbacks on the market so it'll be interesting to see when Routt signs and how much he's able to get. Free agency starts on March 13 so Routt has a head start on everyone else now that he's been released.
Routt is a solid cornerback who obviously won't have trouble gaining some attention on the open market. Al Davis overpaid for him last year so his release isn't necessarily a reflection on how good he is. This was more of a money situation for Oakland.
For more on the Raiders' off-season moves, pay attention to Silver And Black Pride.
The Oakland Raiders released cornerback Stanford Routt on Thursday, a year after Routt signed a controversial three year, $31.5 million contract with the team that would have guaranteed him $20M in the first two seasons.
Routt played in all sixteen games for the Raiders in 2011, starting fifteen and garnering 49 tackles, 15 pass deflections and four interceptions. However, his play faded down the stretch as the Raiders lost momentum.
New G.M. Reggie McKenzie has made waves with his bold moves since taking over and Routt's dismissal is yet another message that the days of Al Davis are over in Oakland. It was Davis that signed Routt to that massive contract, which would have paid Routt more than $10M a season.
It is thought that the move coincides with an impending deadline for guaranteed payments by the Raiders.
The 28-year-old is a seven-year NFL veteran and a 2nd round pick by the Raiders in 2005.
For more on the Raiders' off-season moves, pay attention to Silver And Black Pride.
Stanford Routt Signs Three-Year Deal With Kansas City Chiefs
Two weeks ago the Oakland Raiders released CB Stanford Routt and on Monday a division rival signed him. According to multiple reports, Routt signed a three-year, $19.6 million deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. He also visited the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals.
Routt was originally a second-round pick in the 2005 NFL draft. He's 28 years old and has spent his entire career in Oakland. Routt played a lot of man-to-man in Oakland so, presumably, he fills a similar role in Kansas City.
This signing now brings up another question for the Chiefs -- what happens to Brandon Carr? The Chiefs cornerback is scheduled to hit free agency and after this move it seems more likely he hits the open market. He'll be one of the top handful of cornerbacks on the market if the Chiefs do let him get away.
The Chiefs are among the league leaders in salary cap space so, financially, it's not out of the question for them to try and hang onto Carr.
For more on the Routt signing, visit SB Nation's Chiefs blog, Arrowhead Pride.
Feb 20 1:48p by Joel Thorman - 0 comments