The Oakland Raiders began clearing salary cap space after their spending spree, releasing wide receiver Jordy Nelson and quarterback AJ McCarron on Thursday, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The release of Nelson comes after the Raiders spent big at the wide receiver position by acquiring Antonio Brown in a trade and then restructuring his contract to give him more money and signing Tyrell Williams to a four-year contract.
Williams signed a deal worth $47 million with $22 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Nelson, who turns 34 on May 31, had 63 receptions for 739 yards and three touchdowns last season, his first with the Raiders. The Raiders gave Brown a new three year deal worth up to $54.125 million, with $30.125 million guaranteed, a source told Schefter.
The Raiders also agreed to big-money deals with left tackle Trent Brown (four-year, $66 million contract that includes $36.75 million guaranteed, per Schefter) and safety Lamarcus Joyner (four-year, $42 million with $16.7 million guaranteed per reports).
McCarron was acquired by the Raiders in a trade with the Buffalo Bills before last season. He backed up starter Derek Carr and appeared in just two games, completing one of three passes.
Nelson spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Green Bay Packers, catching 550 passes for 7,848 yards and 69 touchdowns.