The Las Vegas Raiders have cut O.J. Howard less than five months after signing him.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Raiders made opted to end their relationship with the tight end on Tuesday, which has come as a surprise given that they never got to see what he could do for them in preseason.
Howard was selected as the 19th overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2017. He joined the Raiders on a one-year deal guaranteeing him $375,000 in March, which means he will walk away with the sum given this newest development.
The move likely came as a surprise to the player himself as he was interviewed by the Raiders’ official website over the weekend and explained his decision to join the team.
“I knew the culture of Coach McDaniels, his history,” Howard said. “Through the draft process, being a part of getting to meet him, but I didn’t get a chance to go play for him.
“Sometimes, those relationships build over the year and you kind of just remember guys and you remember offenses and you’re like, ‘That’s something that could really fit me.’ So when the [opportunity] came seven years later, I got the call, had a chance to talk to him and was like, ‘For sure, this is a good fit for me.'”
The TE hasn’t quite lived up to the hype since entering the league, never making more than 35 catches a season and finishing the last three with less than 150 receiving yards.
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He spent the first five seasons of his career in Tampa Bay before joining the Houston Texans last term. Strangely enough, he joined the Buffalo Bills on a one-year deal last March and was cut in August.
