ALAMEDA, Calif. — Quarterback Jeff Garcia, who was signed by Oakland in the offseason to push JaMarcus Russell and serve as a mentor to the former No. 1 overall draft pick, was among 22 players let go by the Raiders today.

The decision to release Garcia means Bruce Gradkowski and Charlie Frye will head into the regular season as Russell's backups.

Garcia, who has 116 career starts in 10 NFL seasons, signed a one-year contract with Oakland in April and acknowledged then the idea of being a backup was tough to handle, which may have factored into the team's decision to release the 39-year-old quarterback.