The San Diego Chargers released former Washington Huskies star Donald Butler on Thursday, just two years after signing him to a seven-year contract extension worth more than $51 million.
He joins several high-profile players who will be looking for work elsewhere in 2016, including former Houston Texans running back Arian Foster and ex-St. Louis Rams defensive end Chris Long.
Butler was seen as a rising star after his first few seasons in the league. But after signing his lucrative new deal ahead of the 2014 season, the 2011 third-round pick out of UW regressed over the past two years, eventually losing his starting job last season.