The Las Vegas Raiders recently signed defensive end Maxx Crosby to a lucrative extension. They also reportedly signed Bilal Nichols to a two-year contract and are rumored to be connected to star safety Tyrann Mathieu. So with all of these additions, there are bound to be some salary-cap casualties.
One of those casualties appears to be defensive end Carl Nassib, who has spent the last two seasons with the Raiders. Nassib is 28 years old and has spent six years in the NFL after being a third-round draft selection in 2016. He has played on three teams, including the Raiders, Cleveland Browns, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Now, he enters free agency yet again, as the Raiders have reportedly released him to free agency, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic:
The Raiders have released defensive end Carl Nassib, a source confirmed to The Athletic. It will be a post-June 1 cut, meaning Nassib will hit the market now but the Raiders won’t get the cap relief until June 2.
Some players’ contracts are structured where a release before June 1 triggers a different dead cap number than a release after June 1. For the Raiders, it is more cost-effective to label him as a post-June 1 release.
Nassib is free to sign with any team now, but the Raiders will not see the benefit until June 2. At that time, they’ll receive salary cap relief of $8 million with a dead cap hit of $1.65 million. Nassib also carries a dead cap hit of $4.95 million next season.
With the Raiders reportedly trying to make some splashes in free agency or the trade market, every dollar saved counts. And with Crosby’s extension and some of the other moves made on the defensive line, they felt Nassib was redundant.
It will be interesting to see what type of market Nassib has after solid seasons with the Raiders in 2020 and 2021. Over the two years, he appeared in 27 games, accumulating 49 tackles, four sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble.
Raiders release Cory Littleton
In another cap casualty, the Raiders designated Cory Littleton a post-June 1 release after spending the last two seasons with the team. The Raiders are trying to re-shape a defense around Crosby that has struggled with consistency the past few years.
