ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) The Oakland Raiders are shuffling wide receivers, signing free agent Jordy Nelson and releasing Michael Crabtree.
A person familiar with the move says Nelson agreed to a two-year contract Thursday after the Raiders spent more than a day meeting with the former Green Bay Packers star. Oakland is also cutting ties with Crabtree after three seasons, leaving Nelson and Amari Cooper as the team’s starters.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Nelson move had not been announced. NFL Network first reported Nelson’s signing and ESPN first reported Crabtree’s release.
The Raiders also signed former Tampa Bay running back Doug Martin to a one-year contract and officially announced a three-year contract with blocking tight end Derek Carrier that had been agreed to on Tuesday.
Nelson was released by Green Bay on Tuesday after a down 2017 season. He has strong ties to the Raiders. General manager Reggie McKenzie worked in the Green Bay front office when Nelson was drafted in 2008, and Oakland wide receivers coach Edgar Bennett is a former receivers coach and offensive coordinator with the Packers.
Nelson made the Pro Bowl in 2014 and won AP Comeback Player of the Year in 2016 when he led the league with 14 touchdown catches a year after missing the entire season with a right knee injury.
The 32-year-old Nelson struggled last season with 53 catches for 482 yards and six TDs, recording a career-low 9.1 yards per reception as Aaron Rodgers missed more than half the year with injuries.
Nelson had four 1,000-yard seasons in Green Bay, including 1,519 yards on 98 catches in 2014. In 136 career games, he has 550 catches for 7,848 yards and 69 TDs.
Crabtree had a $7.7 million cap hit for this season but there is no dead money with his release. The 30-year-old Crabtree had 232 catches for 2,543 yards and 25 touchdowns in three seasons with the Raiders.
Martin, who grew up in nearby Stockton, is a two-time Pro Bowler but averaged just 2.9 yards per carry the past two seasons, the lowest for any back in the league. That led to his release by the Buccaneers last month.
The 29-year-old Martin rushed for 1,454 yards as a rookie in 2012, including 251 in a win at Oakland. He also ran for 1,402 yards in 2015 but has failed to reach 500 yards in any of his other four seasons as he was hampered by injuries and a suspension for performance-enhancing substances.
Carrier has 36 catches for 327 yards and one TD in 50 games in his career. He caught eight passes for 71 yards last season with the Rams.
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