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I bet Al hates it when his plans leak out to the media
Angered by the Oakland Raiders' 2-6 start, team owner Al Davis asked his front office staff to explore the possibility of releasing several players, including cornerback DeAngelo Hall, according to multiple sources.
The Raiders are expected to release Hall on Wednesday, sources told ESPN's Michael Smith.
The process started on Monday, a day after the Raiders' embarrassing 24-0 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Davis, looking ahead to rest of the season and to 2009, asked his staff to study a list of potential players who could be let go before the end of the week or after the season, sources said.
One source said the list included more than a dozen names. The Raiders' front-office staff studied the cap consequences of releasing high-priced veteran players. He also wanted his staff to see if other teams might claim any of these players on waivers.
The team was planning on making the move to release Hall on Tuesday before holding off, according to NFL.com. The Raiders have paid Hall $8 million for eight games, and also gave Atlanta a second-round pick for his services.
AFC West blog
ESPN.com's Bill Williamson writes about all things AFC West in his division blog.
NFL.com reported the move to waive him now helps the Raiders avoid paying Hall $16 million worth of injury-guaranteed bonuses in his contract.
Hall has 48 tackles and three interceptions for the Raiders, including a season-high eight tackles last week against the Falcons.
Hall isn't the only Raider under consideration for release. Wide receiver Javon Walker received an $11 million signing bonus and a $1 million base salary this year, but he has only 13 catches in his first seven games with the Raiders. The other players on Davis' list are unknown.
At his Monday press conference, interim Raiders coach Tom Cable said he was thinking of making more changes in the starting lineup. Since taking over for Lane Kiffin, Cable has benched wide receiver Ronald Curry and safety Michael Huff. If Davis gets his way, some changes might be permanent.
Chris Mortensen is a senior NFL analyst for ESPN. John Clayton covers the NFL for ESPN.com. ESPN's Michael Smith contributed to this report.
Angered by the Oakland Raiders' 2-6 start, team owner Al Davis asked his front office staff to explore the possibility of releasing several players, including cornerback DeAngelo Hall, according to multiple sources.
The Raiders are expected to release Hall on Wednesday, sources told ESPN's Michael Smith.
The process started on Monday, a day after the Raiders' embarrassing 24-0 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Davis, looking ahead to rest of the season and to 2009, asked his staff to study a list of potential players who could be let go before the end of the week or after the season, sources said.
One source said the list included more than a dozen names. The Raiders' front-office staff studied the cap consequences of releasing high-priced veteran players. He also wanted his staff to see if other teams might claim any of these players on waivers.
The team was planning on making the move to release Hall on Tuesday before holding off, according to NFL.com. The Raiders have paid Hall $8 million for eight games, and also gave Atlanta a second-round pick for his services.
AFC West blog
ESPN.com's Bill Williamson writes about all things AFC West in his division blog.
NFL.com reported the move to waive him now helps the Raiders avoid paying Hall $16 million worth of injury-guaranteed bonuses in his contract.
Hall has 48 tackles and three interceptions for the Raiders, including a season-high eight tackles last week against the Falcons.
Hall isn't the only Raider under consideration for release. Wide receiver Javon Walker received an $11 million signing bonus and a $1 million base salary this year, but he has only 13 catches in his first seven games with the Raiders. The other players on Davis' list are unknown.
At his Monday press conference, interim Raiders coach Tom Cable said he was thinking of making more changes in the starting lineup. Since taking over for Lane Kiffin, Cable has benched wide receiver Ronald Curry and safety Michael Huff. If Davis gets his way, some changes might be permanent.
Chris Mortensen is a senior NFL analyst for ESPN. John Clayton covers the NFL for ESPN.com. ESPN's Michael Smith contributed to this report.
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