The Oakland Raiders have released offensive tackle Donald Penn after five seasons, the team announced Saturday.
The Raiders said the two sides came to a mutual decision to let Penn go. The move comes after Oakland signed Trent Brown to the richest contract ever for a tackle earlier in the week and drafted two tackles in the first three rounds last year.
“It is always hard to say goodbye to players that you respect and love both for their on-field efforts and the people that they are off the field,” Raiders owner Mark Davis said in a statement. “Donald Penn is another one of those great Raiders who have come into the organization and left an indelible mark on the franchise and the Raider Nation as a whole. He came to Oakland already with a deep passion for Raiders football and served as a leader and example for the team for five memorable seasons. Donald will always be a Raider and his presence will be missed by the entire Raiders Family. I wish the absolute best for Donald and his family.”
Penn posted a lengthy goodbye to Raider Nation on his social media pages, in which he indicated he would not retire.
“It was a difficult decision, but one that I feel is best for my career because I still feel like I have years left in me as a starter in the NFL,” he wrote.
Message to #RaiderNation thank you once a raider always a raider pic.twitter.com/sjC78sFuIV
— Donald Penn (@DPENN70) March 16, 2019
A 13-year NFL veteran, Penn joined the Raiders in 2014 as a free agent, making 66 starts.
The 35-year-old Penn made two Pro Bowls in five seasons with Oakland and was one of the team’s leaders on offense. But he dealt with injuries the past two seasons and became expendable with the addition this week of Brown. Kolton Miller is expected to start at the other tackle spot after being drafted in the first round last year, and 2018 third-round pick Brandon Parker will likely be the backup at both spots.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.