Former Chargers wide receiver released by division rival

Just before the 2024 NFL season, a former Los Angeles Chargers veteran was officially released by an AFC West rival.

The Las Vegas Raiders have released wide receiver Jalen Guyton after signing him on May 6, 2024.

Guyton began his football career at Notre Dame before being suspended for disciplinary reasons. He then transferred to Trinity Valley Community College.

In his only season at Trinity Valley, Guyton recorded 45 catches for 968 yards and 12 touchdowns. He received offers from Marshall, Bowling Green and West Virginia before transferring to the University of North Texas.

In his first season with the Mean Green, Guyton caught 49 balls for 775 yards and scored nine touchdowns, the most on the team. He was named Conference USA Co-Newcomer of the Year and 2017 All-C-USA Second Team.

In his junior year, Guyton caught 54 passes for 805 yards and six touchdowns. He then declared for the 2019 NFL Draft after forgoing his final year of NCAA eligibility.

After going undrafted, Guyton was signed by the Dallas Cowboys. After being released by America’s Team on August 30, 2019, Guyton was signed to the Chargers’ practice squad on October 23, 2019. He was promoted to the active roster just over a month later.

In his first season with the Chargers, Guyton played in all 16 games of the season and recorded 28 pass catches for 511 yards and three touchdowns. The next year, Guyton caught 31 passes for three touchdowns and 448 yards, third most on the team.

Unfortunately, Guyton’s 2022 season ended abruptly when he suffered a torn ACL in Week 3. He re-signed with the Chargers for 2023 and was placed on the Reserve/PUP list on August 29, 2023. He was activated on November 5 and played eight games, hauling in 89 yards and a touchdown on 10 receptions.

Overall, Guyton caught 71 passes for 1,112 yards and seven touchdowns in his five-year career with the Chargers. He also rushed for a total of 34 yards.

Guyton wasn’t the only NFL veteran the Raiders released. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, he will be joined by cornerback Cornell Armstrong, wide receiver Alex Bachman, tight end Zach Gentry, quarterback Nathan Peterman and wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson.

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