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Paul Gutierrez, ESPN Staff Writer
HENDERSON, Nev. — The Las Vegas Raiders are releasing veteran backup quarterback Brian Hoyer, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Friday.
The expected move is likely to be followed by the Raiders parting ways with veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo was benched by then-interim coach Antonio Pierce upon his elevation from linebackers coach in November, with Pierce installing rookie Aidan O’Connell as the starter over Hoyer.
The Raiders will absorb a $2.6 million dead cap hit with Hoyer’s release.
O’Connell would be the lone returning quarterback on the roster for Las Vegas, which is in the market for another signal-caller in free agency and in the draft.
As such, the Raiders have been linked to Russell Wilson, who two years ago listed Las Vegas as a destination he would accept in a trade before being dealt from the Seattle Seahawks to the Denver Broncos.
“You don’t want to put a Band-Aid on the position,” Pierce said at the scouting combine. “That’s old, man, that’s old. I think the Raiders, we’ve seen that enough in this organization. And I know we had Derek Carr for a bunch of years, but before him and after him, it’s been a bunch of one-stop guys.
“And I don’t think any organization wants that. You want the face of your franchise to be the quarterback, to be that guy you can count on for the next few years.”
The Raiders hold the No. 13 draft pick. They have been linked to LSU Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels but would have to swing a massive trade to perhaps move into the top three.
Hoyer, 38, appeared in three games for the Raiders last season, starting one, and passed for 231 yards and two interceptions. His NFL career began in 2009 with the New England Patriots, and his last win as a starter was in 2016 with the Chicago Bears.