Raiders add TE depth with veteran acquisition

Hollister, 29, spent the 2022 offseason in Las Vegas, but the Raiders placed him on IR and then released him from the injured list via a September settlement. Hollister, however, made his way back to the team in November and played in three games as a Raider during a busy travel year.

The Seahawks and Vikings also employed Hollister in 2022. Minnesota added him weeks after the Vegas injury settlement, using the former UDFA in three games before seeing the Raiders pluck him off their practice squad. The Seahawks, who acquired Hollister via trade from the Patriots during the 2019 season, brought the Wyoming alum back via a practice squad deal late in the season. Hollister did not see any game action during his second Seattle stint.

Las Vegas has been busy at tight end this offseason. The Darren Waller trade preceded a second-round move at the position, with Notre Dame prospect Michael Mayer representing the team’s new cornerstone tight end. The Raiders also signed veteran Austin Hooper. A backup last season, Jesper Horsted re-signed with the team in March.

Hollister has a history with Josh McDaniels, having been a Patriots post-draft signee back in 2017. Considering the makeup of the Raiders’ roster, ex-Patriot status is certainly not irrelevant. Only the Seahawks have used Hollister as a receiving regular. The former Will Dissly fill-in racked up 558 yards and six touchdowns between the 2019 and ’20 seasons. Hollister totaled eight receptions in two Patriots seasons, both of which featuring Rob Gronkowski atop the depth chart, and did not catch a pass last year.