Raiders Cut Germaine Pratt After Only Four Games

he Raiders made a surprising and sudden decision to part ways with Germaine Pratt, one of the team’s top linebackers, just four games into the season. The move caught many off guard, given Pratt’s recent acquisition and expected important role in the defense.

Head coach Pete Carroll announced the decision on Monday, following Pratt’s absence from the team’s travel party ahead of Sunday’s crushing 40–6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. When questioned about the reasoning behind the move, Carroll remained deliberately vague, stating only that the organization had “decided to go in a different direction,” offering little insight into the specific factors driving the change.

At 29 years old, Pratt had been a key figure in the Raiders’ weakside linebacker rotation alongside Jamal Adams and Devin White. What set Pratt apart was his standout ability in pass coverage. Over the course of 105 coverage snaps, he allowed just 74 yards and a passer rating of 70.7 when targeted as the nearest defender on 13 attempts. By contrast, Devin White’s coverage numbers were less favorable, yielding 11 catches for 107 yards and a higher passer rating of 82.2 on 17 targets across 149 coverage snaps. Despite these solid metrics, Pratt’s release comes amid the team’s difficult 1–4 start under Carroll’s leadership in his inaugural season with the Raiders—a challenging period that the coach admitted he is “processing poorly.”

The release comes at a tough juncture, as Las Vegas has now dropped four consecutive games following Sunday’s devastating loss. The 34-point margin against Indianapolis represented the second-largest defeat of Pete Carroll’s long and distinguished coaching career, underscoring the turbulent and uncertain times currently facing the franchise.