Heading into the 2021 offseason, the Raiders are in a bit of trouble when it comes to the salary cap. With the salary cap projected to be at $180 million, the Raiders are currently more than $22 million over the cap. That is before they even think about bringing back any scheduled free agents, such as Nelson Agholor, Denzelle Good or Nicholas Morrow.
Luckily, there are a ton of ways the Raiders can free up cap space over the next few months. They have the option of restricting contracts, which they could do for players like Rodney Hudson, Trent Brown or even Derek Carr. But they also have the option of releasing a few older veterans that are currently taking up a big percentage of their cap.
Which player is the most likely to be released in the upcoming weeks? Well, Lamarcus Joyner is a possible candidate as the team could save nearly $9 million by releasing him. They also have his replacement on the roster in Amik Robertson and it’s not like Joyner has been incredible since signing with the team in 2019.
Marcus Mariota is another that could be on his way out as he is due $11.35 million but has no guaranteed money left on his contract. The Raiders could release him and find a new backup quarterback for Carr in 2021. Paying that much money for a backup quarterback, especially considering how well Carr played in 2020 doesn’t make a ton of sense.
But the one player who is guaranteed to be released by the Raiders this offseason is Tyrell Williams. The team originally signed him to be a complementary receiver to Antonio Brown, but once Brown was released, he became the de facto No. 1 receiver in 2019. Williams was adequate in that role, but he certainly wasn’t special.
Heading into 2020, he was expected to start on the outside alongside Henry Ruggs III to give the Raiders a ton of speed at the receiver position. But Williams was hurt in training camp and never played a snap during the regular season. Nelson Agholor replaced him and had a career year, totaling 896 yards and eight touchdowns.
It’s clear that Agholor is just the better player at this stage of his career and is a better fit in the offense. Williams turns 29 in February and is coming off foot surgery. The Raiders can actually get out of his deal cleanly this offseason, saving $11.6 million against the cap this year and over $12 million in 2022.
While Williams isn’t a bad player, he’s just not one the Raiders can afford to keep this year. Look for him to catch on elsewhere and be a productive receiver in a complementary role.
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