The Oakland Raiders announced Saturday that they’ve released veteran OT Donald Penn.
“It is always hard to say goodbye to players that you respect and love both for their on-field efforts and the people that they are off the field,” said Raiders owner Mark Davis. “Donald Penn is another one of those great Raiders who have come into the organization and left an indelible mark on the franchise and the Raider Nation as a whole. He came to Oakland already with a deep passion for Raiders football and served as a leader and example for the team for five memorable seasons. Donald will always be a Raider and his presence will be missed by the entire Raiders Family. I wish the absolute best for Donald and his family.”
“We’re going to miss Donald Penn around here,” said Raiders HC Jon Gruden. “I got to coach him as a young guy in Tampa and everything he got on the field, he earned. I was lucky enough to get him again here in Oakland. I’m going to miss the toughness and passion that he brought to the team every day. I certainly wish him and his family all the best.”
Message to #RaiderNation thank you once a raider always a raider pic.twitter.com/sjC78sFuIV
— Donald Penn (@DPENN70) March 16, 2019
This shouldn’t come as a big surprise after the team used a first-round pick on Kolton Miller last year and then gave Trent Brown a record contract this offseason.
Penn spent most of the year on injured reserve in 2018 with a groin injury and while the Raiders designated him to return, they ultimately declined to active him from the list.
Penn, 35, originally signed on with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent out of Utah State back in 2006. After a few months in Minnesota, Penn signed on with the Buccaneers during his rookie season and spent eight years in Tampa Bay before he was released back in 2014.
The Raiders signed Penn to a contract soon after before bringing him back on a $21M extension in 2017.
According to OverTheCap.com, releasing Penn will free up $5,475,000 of available cap space while creating $1.75 million in dead money.
In 2018, Penn appeared in four games for the Raiders.
Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!
