Christian Ponder Released by Raiders: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

The Oakland Raiders have released quarterback Christian Ponder, the team announced on Saturday. The former first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings was looking to hang on in Oakland as Derek Carr's backup, but quarterback Matt McGloin put on a great preseason performance and won the job. 

Factoring in McGloin's final outing, he completed 73.7 percent of his passes for 424 yards and four touchdowns, a team-best in each category. 

Ponder, on the other hand, was not as impressive, despite the chances the organization gave him to showcase his skills, as Scott Bair of CSN Bay Area observed: "The fifth-year veteran’s performance was lackluster in practice—he wasn’t terribly accurate—and adequate in preseason games. Ponder continued to run the second unit, even when McGloin wowed on the field."

He was 22-of-35 for 245 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Those aren't terrible numbers, but they were no match for McGloin.

Bair states that Ponder will be released when the team cuts its roster down to 53 men on Saturday. That means the Raiders will be going into the regular season with just two quarterbacks on the roster.

Teams that are looking for help in terms of depth at the quarterback position might be Ponder's saving grace, as he will be looking for a third team in less than a year. He will have to hope his 2012 season in which he went 10-6 helps him find a job. A quarterback who has shown he can win will look a bit more attractive on the free-agent market.

The problem is that he hasn't won much outside of 2012, going 4-15 in his three other professional seasons. It's doubtful that he is going to be able to fight his way onto the field in 2015 if he does sign with a new team. But for now, don't expect to see much of Ponder in the next year.

Follow Joe Pantorno (@JoePantorno) on Twitter. Stats courtesy of NFL.com.