With NFL free agency just a few days away, the Raiders continue to open up cap space. Earlier on Thursday, they restructured the contracts of Kolton Miller and Kenyan Drake to save over $14 million.
They made another expected cap-saving move by releasing former Pro Bowl linebacker Cory Littleton. That news was first reported by NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero.
The #Raiders informed LB Cory Littleton they'll release him when the league year begins next week, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 10, 2022
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, his release is expected to be designated as a June 1 cut. That will save the team $11.7 million and will spread his dead cap hit over the next two years. That is a big difference as the Raiders would have saved just $1.7 million this year with a pre-June 1 release.
Littleton was a big free-agent addition for the Raiders in 2020, but he was never able to live up to his Pro Bowl status. He signed a three-year deal worth $35.25 million during the 2020 offseason with $22 million guaranteed. However, he struggled in both Paul Guenther and Gus Bradley’s defenses and never really found a home on defense.
Littleton started 27 games for the Raiders over the last two years, totaling 180 tackles and 0.5 sack. He is now a free agent and is able to sign at any time. Littleton will turn 29 in November.
The next question for the Raiders will be if the team moves on from fellow linebacker Nick Kwiatkowski, who was also a big free-agent addition during the 2020 season. The Raiders could save $7 million if he is designated as a post-June 1 cut.
The Raiders now have around $43 million in cap space heading into the free agency period. However, expect that number to grow in the upcoming days.
