Donald Penn Ends Holdout Amid Contract Dispute, Returns to Raiders Practice

Veteran offensive tackle Donald Penn ended his holdout and returned to the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday, according to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

ESPN's Paul Gutierrez provided a photo of Penn on the practice field:

Penn held out when Raiders training camp started in July, and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported it was due to him wanting to be paid like a top-10 left tackle.

Penn has one year left on his contract at a cap hit of $7.15 million, according to Spotrac.

After spending the first seven seasons of his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Penn signed with the Raiders prior to the 2014 season.

He made one Pro Bowl during his time with the Bucs, which was a major return on investment considering they signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Utah State after he was released by the Minnesota Vikings.

Penn became a starter in 2007, as he dressed for all 16 games and started 12 of them for the Buccaneers. From that point forward, he never missed a game due to injury.

In his first three seasons with the Raiders, Penn has started all 48 regular-season games, and he returned to the Pro Bowl at the conclusion of the 2016 campaign.

The 34-year-old veteran was part of an offensive line that allowed an NFL-low 18 sacks and kept quarterback Derek Carr upright for much of the season.

Despite having major question marks at running back, Penn and his linemates also paved the way for the NFL's No. 6 rushing attack in terms of yardage per game.

The Raiders added veteran running back Marshawn Lynch to the mix during the offseason, which gave Penn and Co. a chance to do even more damage in the running game.

By returning to the fold despite the lack of a new contract, Penn ensured that Oakland will once again have one of the most talented and productive offensive lines in the league for 2017.