How much salary cap space do the Raiders have?

To say the Raiders have been "handcuffed" in the NFL's free-agent frenzy this offseason would be an understatement.In fact, first-year general manager Reggie McKenzie compared Oakland's salary cap issues to being incarcerated, so to speak."We dont want to continue to be in cap jail forever," McKenzie said with a wry smile in a roundtable discussion with a handful of reporters at the conclusion of the team's mandatory minicamp nearly two weeks ago.Then how about an early release for good behavior and fiscal responsibility? In dealing with so many "out of whack" contracts, McKenzie has given himself some breathing room, albeit, the nose-just-above-the-rising-water type.According to our corporate cousins at Pro Football Talk, the Raiders had 1.34 million in salary cap space on Friday. Only the Baltimore Ravens had less money with which to play, at a relatively measly 606,000.As PFT points out, "for now, the cap space is determined by the top 51 contracts on the roster."The Raiders currently have 88 players on their roster, having waived defensive back LeQuan Lewis on Friday.RELATED: Raiders roster
"Once the season begins," PFT wrote, "each team must fill all 53 players on the active roster and any players on any reserve lists under the spending ceiling."Keep in mind, the Raiders have yet to sign two of their draftees -- third-round supplemental pick offensive lineman Tony Bergstrom and fifth-round supplemental pick receiver Juron Criner -- and the two are among the 88 on the roster.Per documents obtained by CSNCalifornia.com, Bergstrom would have a first-year allotment of 516,504 with a first-year minimum allotment of 512,504, while Criner would have a first-year allotment of 426,140 with a first-year minimum allotment of 422,140.So even if the two signed for the minimum, that would leave the Raiders with just 405,356 in cap space.And, as pointed out here last week, the veteran minimum for seven- to nine-year vets for 2012 is 825,000. Free-agent running back Cedric Benson, who has been linked to the Raiders for some time, has played seven seasons in the NFL.You do the math.