ESPN - Raiders release former 1st-round receiver Taylor - NFL
Former first-round wide receiver Travis Taylor, who has never lived up to his draft status, was released on Saturday evening by the Oakland Raiders, essentially the third franchise to give up on him since 2004.
An eighth-year veteran, Taylor signed a one-year, $750,000 contract with the Raiders on May 22 as an unrestricted free agent. As a "vested" veteran, with at least four seasons of experience in the league, his full base salary is guaranteed.
Taylor, 29, was inactive for the first game of the season. He played sparingly in last week's overtime loss at Denver, but did not have a reception.
The former University of Florida star was chosen by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2000 draft, the 10th player selected overall that year. He played five years in Baltimore (2000-04), but when his contract expired, the Ravens made little attempt to retain him.
He signed with Minnesota in 2005 and played two seasons with the Vikings and then joined the Raiders this spring.
In 99 career appearances, Taylor has 311 catches for 4,013 yards and 22 touchdowns.
His best season was in 2002, with Baltimore, when he posted 61 receptions for 869 yards and six touchdowns. But he never came close again to those numbers and, in ensuing seasons, he had only one year with more than 50 receptions.
Noted for his deep speed coming out of college, Taylor has averaged only 12.9 yards per catch for his career, and has struggled with inconsistency catching the ball. He is one of several former Florida wide receivers who could not approximate his college success at the NFL level.
Raiders shed inconsistent former first-rounder Taylor
Raiders shed inconsistent former first-rounder Taylor
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