Raiders Terminate Contract of Long-Time NFL Veteran

The Las Vegas Raiders have already moved on from one of their late-camp additions, as the team released veteran wide receiver Noah Brown eight days after signing him and before their final preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Brown, 30, joined the Raiders on August 16 as a free agent after an injury-shortened 2025 season with the Washington Commanders.

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Ohio State product appeared in one preseason game for Las Vegas, catching one pass for 11 yards. That limited sample, combined with a crowded and youthful receiver room, was not enough to keep him on the roster ahead of the August 30 cutdown deadline.

The early release gives Brown a head start on finding a new team before the usual late-August flood of waived players. ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported the move.

A seventh-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in 2017, Brown spent five seasons in Dallas, one with the Houston Texans, and the last two in Washington.

Over eight NFL seasons, he has appeared in 91 games with 38 starts, totaling 155 receptions for 2,083 yards and six touchdowns. His best stretch came from 2022 to 2024, when he posted 43, 33, and 35 catches in consecutive seasons and averaged more than 13 yards per reception.

Injuries defined his most recent year. Groin, knee, and rib issues limited him to four games and five catches for 83 yards with the Commanders. He finished 2025 on injured reserve.

The Raiders signed him hoping the veteran could add reliability and size to a receiver group that lost Jakobi Meyers and features Tre Tucker as its most proven option, plus free-agent addition Jalen Nailor and young players such as Jack Bech, Dont’e Thornton Jr., and Malik Benson.

New head coach Klint Kubiak and general manager John Spytek appear to have decided quickly that Brown did not separate himself in the short window he was given.

Releasing him before the final exhibition game also frees a roster spot and practice reps for younger receivers still competing for the last few jobs.

For Brown, the next stop is uncertain. His production when healthy and his size still offer value as depth or a rotational piece, but a recent injury history and the brief, unremarkable stay in Las Vegas may make teams cautious. He is now an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any club immediately.

The Raiders, meanwhile, continue shaping their 53-man roster with an emphasis on youth and scheme fit in Kubiak’s offense.

Brown’s short tenure is a reminder of how quickly late-camp evaluations can close the door, even for a player with nearly a decade of NFL experience.