The Raiders are reportedly one of two teams that have shown interest in kicker Toshiki Sato, who is trying to become the first Japanese player in the NFL.
Sato, 26, tested for teams in the spring and said the Raiders and Dallas Cowboys have shown interest. He said in an interview that he believes he could get a possible deal from the Raiders if his kickers fight on training ground.
“The Cowboys and Raiders are interested. I’m waiting for an offer, “Sato, who currently plays for the X-League side IBM Big Blue, told Kyodo News.” The Cowboys can be difficult since they have three kickers and one has a great contract, but the Raiders only have Two. I think there’s a chance that I might get an invitation if those two don’t do well at the next camp. “
The Raiders are bringing back starter Daniel Carlson and signed renowned Utah state kicker Dominik Eberle as an unrestricted free agent. Carlson was excellent in 2018 after the Raiders picked him up after the Vikings cut him up as a rookie. He lost just one field goal to the Raiders in 2018. But Carlson faded a bit last season when he lost seven of 26 field goal attempts.
My read on this is that the Raiders have Sato on their list if things get ugly at camp with Carlson ad Eberle. But I also imagine that Las Vegas also has other kickers on its list.
If Sato played for the Raiders, the Raiders’ great work on diversity would continue. Under Al Davis’ passing, the Raiders had their first Latino (Tom Flores) and Black (Art Shell) head coaches in the league and Amy Trask was the first woman in a leadership role with an NFL team.
