Las Vegas' last-ditch attempts to trade Rodney Hudson have netted the Raiders a decent bit of compensation.
The Raiders have finalized a deal that is sending Hudson and a 2021 seventh-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for a 2021 third-round selection, the Cardinals announced after it was initially reported by NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported.
Las Vegas had been prepared to release Hudson on Tuesday, a move that made little sense both financially and strategically. At 31 years old, Hudson is still a very effective center, and releasing him wouldn't offer the Raiders much financial incentive to make the move palatable.
The Raiders weren't done shipping away offensive linemen with Hudson, as they also sent guard Gabe Jackson to the Seahawks in exchange for a fifth-round pick, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported.
Instead of simply releasing Hudson, the Raiders are getting decent value for the center in the form of the third-round pick from Arizona. The Cardinals, meanwhile, are landing a center who ranked eighth among all players at the position in 2020, per Pro Football Focus, and immediately answers Arizona's looming question at one of the most important positions up front.
The acquisition of Hudson is just the latest move in a string of them that signals the Cardinals are going full steam ahead into 2021, riding a mix of veterans (J.J. Watt , A.J. Green , etc.) and promising youngsters into the new campaign with the hopes of avoiding a repeat performance of 2020. With their collection of offseason additions, the spotlight will undoubtedly be on Kyler Murray and the Cardinals this fall -- and he'll have an experienced center to help guide him through the fire.
