Oakland Raiders to Release WR James Jones, Saving $3.4 Million in Cap Space

Wide receiver James Jones will soon be released by his team, the Oakland Raiders, after the team signed two new starting receivers: Michael Crabtree from San Francisco and Alabama receiver Amari Cooper.

"[Cooper] was on our board high from the start. It didn't matter about the position; it was about the player," said Oakland general manager Reggie McKenzie in the Bleacher Report article.

With Cooper and Crabtree on the Raiders' lineup, Jones will have a redundant role on the team thus the decision to cut him.

The former Green Bay Packer signed with the Raiders last year in a three-year deal worth $10 million. ESPN said there were reports saying that Jones confirmed through text message that he is being cut from the team which was later verified by an ESPN source.

When he leaves the team, Jones will help the Raiders save an estimated $3.4 million in salary cap.

AP Sports said McKenzie was the one who told Jones he will be taken out from the team.

The same report added that the wide receiver was very productive during his stay with the Raiders.

"[He has] a team-high of 73 catches last season for 666 yards and six touchdowns. But Jones' 9.1 yards per catch was the second lowest of any wide receiver last season and the Raiders decided to go in a different direction," explained AP Sports.

Aside from Jones, the Raiders also reportedly cut ties with linebacker Miles Burris who was the second pick during the 2012 draft.

"He was picked in the fourth round out of San Diego State that year and started 15 games as a rookie," added AP Sports. A knee injury limited him to just six games during the 2013 season.

Burris also reportedly struggled when he took over as the starting middle linebacker last season after the season-ending concussion of starter Nick Roach.

Both players are still expected to find other teams as Bleacher Report said that Jones can easily search "a solid market of teams looking to add a veteran piece on the cheap" since he had the 12th-lowest drop rate among receivers last year.

Burris, on the other hand, has also proven his worth as a player with AP Sports saying that he was "second on the team with 1,060 defensive snaps and was second with 108 tackles."

The Raiders have also released Kevin Boothe, the teams offensive lineman, according to Mike Garafalo of Fox Sports 1.