Raiders releasing Pro Bowl center Rodney Hudson

Tuesday, March 16, 2021 | 12:09 p.m.

The Raiders’ offseason took an unexpected turn on Tuesday, as the team released veteran Pro Bowl center Rodney Hudson.

NFL Network reported the surprising news. Hudson is heading into his age-32 season and should be an attractive free-agent option for teams looking to bolster the interior of their offensive lines.

Hudson spent the past six years with the franchise, starting 92 of a possible 96 games in the middle of an offensive line that had been built around his elite pass protection. Since 2015 (his first season with the Raiders) Hudson has graded out as the NFL’s top pass-blocking center, according to Pro Football Focus.

Hudson made the Pro Bowl in 2016, 2017 and 2019.

The Las Vegas offensive line is undergoing a major reconstruction this offseason. The team has already released left guard Richie Incognito and is expected to release left guard Gabe Jackson as well. Add Hudson to that group and the Raiders are parting with 30 years and 300 starts worth of experience along the interior of their line.

Las Vegas also traded right tackle Trent Brown to New England for a pick swap, meaning the team could have four new starters along the offensive line in 2021, with the only holdover set to be left tackle Kolton Miller.

Hudson’s base salary for 2021 was $9.5 million and he was set to have the second-highest cap hit on the roster, taking up $13.6 million in space, according to Spotrac. If the Raiders release him immediately his cap hit would actually increase to $15.6 million in dead money, but if they designate him as a post-June 1 cut then the team would actually stand to save approximately $6 million in space. Each NFL team is allowed to designate two cuts as post-June 1 each offseason.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.