Raiders release WR Tyrell Williams halfway through four-year, $44 million contract

Two years after signing Tyrell Williams to a four-year, $44 million deal, the Las Vegas Raiders are moving on.

The Raiders announced Wednesday that they have released the wide receiver:

The move ends Williams' Raiders career with only 16 games played and 651 receiving yards, though that isn't entirely Williams' fault. The 29-year-old Williams missed all of last season due a torn labrum in his shoulder. He had also dealt with plantar fasciitis in his foot in his first year with the team.

The Raiders' releasing Williams isn't unexpected, as the guaranteed money in his contract basically ran out after last season. Williams was in line to make $11.5 million this year, but cutting him leaves only $1 million in dead salary-cap money per OverTheCap. With the Raiders one of many teams facing a salary cap crunch in 2021 due to shrunken league revenues, that $10 million savings is significant.

Before his time with the Raiders, the undrafted Williams rose from the Los Angeles Chargers' practice squad to a 1,000-yard season, and eventually 2,530 total receiving yards during his Chargers tenure.

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