ALAMEDA — The Oakland Raiders cut defensive lineman Ted Washington, offensive lineman Ron Stone and defensive back Denard Walker on Thursday, saving the team more than $12 million in salary cap room for next season.

The Raiders were one of many teams whose cap number was well above the projected $94.5 million limit they must reach before the start of free agency.

The cap number, which was set earlier Thursday when owners voted to end talks with the players’ union over a new contract, could still change because the league has extended its deadline for the start of free agency from Friday to Monday.

That gives the two sides three more days to negotiate a contract extension to the labor agreement that could add about $10 million to the salary cap.

Washington, 37, has played all 32 games since joining the Raiders as a free agent before the 2004 season. He is a four-time Pro Bowler and still regarded as one of the top run stuffers in the league. He would have counted $4.747 million in salary next season.

Stone, a three-time Pro Bowler, started all 16 games in 2005 after playing in only five in his first season in Oakland because of chronic knee problems. He would have counted $3.08 million against the salary cap next season.

Walker, 32, played in just nine games and made only two tackles all of last season. He would have counted $4.59 million against the cap in 2006.

The Raiders still need to make more moves before Sunday and haven’t decided what to do with quarterback Kerry Collins, who will count $12.9 million against the salary cap next season.

Collins, who has a 7-21 record in two years as Oakland’s starter, said at the end of the season he was willing to renegotiate his deal but would not play for “peanuts.”

New coach Art Shell said when he was hired that he believed Collins could be a “great” quarterback for the Raiders but the team still had to figure out what it would do with him.

The Raiders also hired a new quarterbacks coach. Jim McElwain, who had been as assistant the past three years at Michigan State, left to join Shell’s staff, the school announced. The Raiders expect to announce Shell’s entire staff within the next few days.

Oakland had previously declined the 2006 option for safety Derrick Gibson, who would have made $10 million in 2006, and declined to use a franchise tag on Charles Woodson, who made $10.537 million last season.