Kerry Collins

They do it every year. Somehow, the highly-indebted Raiders find a way to dig themselves out of a deep hole. This year, the majority of fans were almost certainly glad to see the $23.6 million hole that Oakland had dug themselves into for 2006. This meant that Oakland would have to toss more players into the cap hole and climb upon their backs to get themselves out of it. With this in mind, Al Davis and the have officially parted ways with quarterback Kerry Collins.In a move that the Raider Nation had anticipated for weeks now, the Raiders cut Collins hours before the NFL's Saturday free agency deadline commenced. With the new collective bargaining agreement intact, the salary cap for the 2006 season will be at $102 million.With all numbers crunched, the Raiders will save $9,197,000 with the release of 33-year old Collins. The news came just over a week after Ted Washington, Ron Stone, and Denard Walker were shown the door. Prior to this, the Raiders had also turned down a $10 million option for unproductive safety Derrick Gibson and declined to use a $10.5 million franchise tag on cornerback Charles Woodson.In two seasons with the Raiders, Collins completed 591 of 1078 passes for 7,254 yards, 41 touchdowns, and 32 interceptions. These numbers equated to a 76.05 quarterback average under center in Oakland. In his 11-year career, Collins holds a quarterback rating of 73.8.Despite the additions of wide receiver Randy Moss and running back LaMont Jordan, Oakland's offense ranked 21st in the NFL last season, registering just 309.4 yards per game. In his first season wearing the number 18, Moss had an underachieving year with Collins throwing him the ball-catching just 60 passes for 1,005 yards. Jerry Porter also struggled in 2005, falling just short of the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight season.Strong-armed Viking Daunte Culpepper and the NFL's 2004 Comeback Player of the Year, Drew Brees, are expected to receive a great amount of consideration from the Raiders front office. However, many Raiders fans want to see what the draft has in store as well.For the time being, second-year man Andrew Walter seems to be the most viable quarterback under contract.