Las Vegas Raiders release tight end O.J. Howard

The Las Vegas Raiders are releasing tight end O.J. Howard, according to a report from Vincent Bonsignore. Howard signed a one-year deal for $1.23 million with the Raiders in March after spending a season with the Houston Texans.

Following the release of the former first-rounder, the Raiders also added quarterback Chase Garbers to the roster, Bonsignor shared. Garbers previously worked out for the Seattle Seahawks. The former Cal star hasn’t recorded any stats yet in the NFL.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Howard with the No. 19 overall pick in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Alabama.

He spent five seasons in Tampa Bay and was most productive in his first three years with the Bucs. He had 119 catches for 1,737 yards and 15 touchdowns, and after the 2021 season was signed to a one-year contract with the Buffalo Bills. The Bills released Howard on August 30, 2022, and the Texans signed him one week later.

In Week 1 with the Texans last season, he caught two catches for 38 yards and two touchdowns. However, he finished the year with just 10 receptions for 145 yards.

In his four years in Tuscaloosa, he hauled in 114 receptions for 1,726 yards and seven touchdowns, having some of his best career performances in College Football Playoff games.

Josh Jacobs continues Raiders holdout

As Josh Jacobs continues his contract dispute with the Raiders over his 2023 salary and beyond, he does not intend to join his teammates for the preseason practices.

It’s still unclear whether Jacobs intends to sacrifice more than training camp fines to aid in his negotiations. Although he appears set on giving up $50,000 per day of training camp missed, he hasn’t said for sure whether he will sit out games this season.

Last year, Jacobs tallied 1,653 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground for the Raiders. He also totaled 400 yards on 53 receptions while starting in all 17 games.

Jacobs has spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Raiders. He earned Pro Bowl bids in 2020 and 2022. So far, he’s accounted for 4,740 rushing yards and 40 touchdowns on the ground. He’s added 1,152 receiving yards to his production totals in that time, too.

If he had signed it, Jacobs would have made roughly $10.1 million on the franchise tender in 2023. However, the running back is coming off his second Pro Bowl season in the last three seasons and is looking to cash in.

On3’s Kaiden Smith contributed to this report.