The Raiders have released receiver Seth Roberts, a source told NBC Sports Bay Area on Thursday morning. The transaction should become official later in the day, roughly 24 hours after the Raiders signed veteran receiver Ryan Grant.
Roberts was set to make a $4.45 million base salary in 2019, the final season of a three-year contract extension signed under previous general manager Reggie McKenzie.
It creates $4.8 million in salary cap space, though the Raiders had some wiggle room there.
The Raiders have undergone a complete receiver overhaul, with Antonio Brown, Tyrell Williams, J.J. Nelson and Grant coming aboard since last month. Jordy Nelson and Roberts have been shown the door, and Martavius Bryant and Brandon LeFell aren't expected back, making Marcell Ateman the most productive 2018 receiver to remain with the club.
Roberts made his own way with the Raiders, earning a prominent role after joining the Silver and Black as a 2014 undrafted free agent. He was the team's primary slot receiver from 2015-17, and while he was plagued by inconsistency, Roberts had several clutch catches. The Raiders were virtually unbeaten when Roberts scored a touchdown, and had several game winners himself.
That earned a contract extension before the 2017 season that included guarantees in that year and the next, but the Raiders were allowed to release him this year without dead money attached.
He wasn't held in as high regard under head coach Jon Gruden, but still produced career highs with 45 catches for 484 yards. He had drop issues in 2016, but they improved in recent seasons, though his completion percentage when targeted was never sky high.
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He isn't expected to be unemployed long, with size and experience that will be attractive to teams as offseason programs get going across the NFL.
