On Monday, the Cincinnati Bengals released linebacker Vontaze Burfict. The 28-year-old played in Cincinnati in all seven of his seasons in the NFL, but will now have to look forward to continuing his professional football career in a different city for the first time.

As it turns out, the Oakland Raiders are still shopping for some key players for their defense — particularly at linebacker — and Burfict has suddenly come across their radar.

Ian Rapoport tweeted that the Raiders have indeed shown interest in the former Bengal standout.

Whenever he's healthy and keeps his nose clean, Burfict is one of the league's most imposing linebackers in the business. In 2013, the Arizona State product accumulated a career-high 171 tackles to go with three sacks and one interception to earn him his lone Pro Bowl selection.

However, the hot-headed defender hasn't been as prolific since his banner 2013 campaign.

Burfict is widely-regarded as one of the dirtiest players in the NFL. His infamous hit on Antonio Brown during the 2016 AFC Wild Card Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers will go down in history as one of the cheapest plays in league history, and one that eventually cost the Bengals another early-round postseason loss.

The Raiders now will gauge whether or not Burfict's past transgressions are worth passing over in favor of his talent and potential. On the other hand, Burfict's also missed significant playing time due to injuries, with his most recent being a bummed hip in 2018.

Rapoport also mentioned in his tweet that Oakland has considered other linebackers like Manti Te'o and Aaron Lynch. That being said, Burfict has really got to impress the Raiders and prove that his temper won't be an issue if he wants to play for the resurgent Silver and Black franchise, especially now that he might be teammates with his long-time AFC North rival in Brown.