ALAMEDA, Calif. – The Oakland Raiders gave up Bruce Irvin on Saturday, after the main team's play time has been drastically reduced in recent weeks.

Irvin has played only nine catches in a 34-3 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night. It will be subject to waivers and will have about $ 3.8 million for the rest of the season if it is not claimed next week.

"We would like to thank Bruce Irvin for his years of service with the Oakland Raiders and we wish him the best," said General Manager Reggie McKenzie.

Oakland entered the year by betting on Irvin and Khalil Mack to serve as defense defenders anchoring the defense. Mack was traded a week before the season in Chicago for a set of draft picks as a result of a long-term contract, and now Irvin is gone too.

Irvin thanked the organization Raiders for his stay in Oakland.

"I will always cherish my experience with the Oakland Raiders," he said on his Twitter feed. "As the seasons change, so do our roles, and I look forward to continuing my journey with the NFL!"

The Raiders (1-7) rank last in the NFL with only seven sacks and have 35 quarterback pressure, the worst in the league, according to SportRadar. The next worst team is Tennessee with 59.

Irvin, 31, has three sacks and five pressures, but has had little impact on a defense that is poised to be one of the worst all time. Irvin has only six wounds despite a salary of $ 8 million.

Oakland gives 6.76 yards per game, the worst of all teams in eight games since the merger in 1970. The Raiders have allocated the second highest points to the franchise in eight games (252), are tied for the second least (six) and have the least bags (seven). Oakland also allowed opponents to get a score of 113.9 for smugglers, a mark that has never been as bad as a team in a full season.

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Irvin played 24 takeovers in the eighth week against Indianapolis, then nine against the 49ers. Irvin's six games with the fewest hits since coming to the Raiders in 2016 took place this year. Irvin had a tackle, no bags and no pressure in his last three games.

Coach Jon Gruden attributed the lack of playing time to the fact that Irvin was not part of the grassroots defense against the 49ers.

"We were not much in our nickel defense," Gruden said Friday. "Do not forget that we are a 4-3 team, we are not 3-4, so in the grassroots defense it sometimes does not correspond to the role we have to play. Bruce, he's a runner, we did not have a lead, we do not have a lot of opponents in the chains, so his role has been reduced, I know he's frustrated. We'll try to solve this as soon as possible, he's a good player, he's a good player. "

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Irvin was on the field for only seven of the 23 team attempts in nickel formation, his other two games ending in goal-line defense.

Irvin had 15 sacks in his first two seasons with the Raiders. Irvin's 11 forced fumbles since the start of the 2016 season are the most numerous of the NFL in this period.

The Raiders have now eliminated two of the players selected as captain this season after already releasing linebacker Derrick Johnson last month.