Penn Holdout Clouds Camp

Pro Bowl LT a Napa no-show as he seeks larger contract

Donald Penn found plenty of support both in and out of the Raiders locker room as he continued his prolonged holdout in hopes of getting a new contract.

Derek Carr, whose backside Penn has protected since the young quarterback entered the NFL as a second-round draft pick in 2014, was adamant about the importance of Penn’s presence on the offensive line, as did center Rodney Hudson. Long-time Raider and future Hall-of Famer Charles Woodson chimed in, telling Penn to strike while the iron was hot.

Even general manager Reggie McKenzie sounded fine with Penn’s attempt at landing a new deal, with one exception.

“We don’t talk contracts unless a guy is here,” McKenzie said emphatically while talking to reporters. “He’s not in camp. My thing is to not talk about guys when they’re not in camp.”

And so, as the Raiders entered the second week of training camp with no apparent quick resolution coming, it appeared the situation had turned into a stalemate with neither side seeming willing to budge much.