Plenty of spectacular offensive and defensive players have donned the Silver and Black since they were established in 1960, but some are better than others. For a team that boasts three Super Bowl wins and 24 Hall of Famers already enshrined with quarterback Kenny Stabler being immortalized this summer, the elite are truly spectacular. There have been so many phenomenal players to suit up for the Silver and Black that you could Google several lists like this and find dozens of different combinations of players.
Top Oakland Raiders Players of All Time
10. Charles Woodson
When this new era of (Los Angeles, San Antonio, Las Vegas, or Oakland) Raiders inevitably (hopefully) results in a Super Bowl win, guys like Khalil Mack and Derek Carr will point back to the incredible leadership that Woodson provided over the first two years of their prolific careers. It’s crazy to think that despite the fact that Woodson was the heart and soul of the Raiders between 2013 and 2016, his best playing days with the Raiders happened a decade before.
Woodson thrived as a safety for Oakland, grabbing ten interceptions, a Pro-Bowl berth, and a second team All-Pro in his second stint with the team. But it was his time between 1998 and 2005 where he was a truly elite player for the Raiders. Four Pro-Bowls, two First-Team All-Pros, and a defensive rookie of the year came to Woodson as a young corner for the Raiders. He’s obviously a first ballot Hall of Fame caliber player. Exceptional play, incredible leadership, and a love for the franchise make Charles Woodson the only modern player on this list.
9. “Old Man” Willie Brown
Something that will become a theme as this list goes on, Brown was an exceptional player that just never gets the respect he is owed. Willie Brown was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1984, but when “experts” list the greatest shut-down corners in NFL history, his name is conspicuous by its absence. At 6’2″ and 200 pounds, Brown would mug receivers at the line of scrimmage, and had the speed to keep up with receivers if they managed to slip past him. Brown was the very first bump-and-run corner, yet the rule that states a receiver cannot be bumped after five yards is named after Mel Blount. This write will refer to that rule as the “Old Man Willie” rule and nothing else. “Old Man Willie” loved the Raiders so much, that he remains a member of the front office to this day. Brown is an all-time great, and who could forget that exceptional play in the Super Bowl? You know the one.
8. Jim Otto
Jim Otto was one of the best centers of all time, but that’s not what earned him a spot on this list. Otto’s dominance for the Raiders between 1960 and 1974 is not to be forgotten. He’s in the Hall of Fame, was an All-Pro for all but one of his fifteen seasons, and he did so despite being passed over by every other team in both leagues.
However, what earned Otto a spot on this list was more than his playing. It was his sacrifice. Thanks to 15 years of Raiders football, Otto’s body broke down. He’s had nearly 70 surgeries on his shoulders, knees, nose, back, and other body parts. He even lost his right leg due to infections. With that many surgeries, you wouldn’t blame Otto if he had regrets or resented his time in the AFL and NFL. The reality? The Raiders’ logo is emblazoned on the prosthetic leg that he and his wife, Sally, put on every morning. You have to respect Otto’s commitment, sacrifice, and legacy.
7. Cliff Branch
And here we find another ridiculous travesty. Despite being a three-time First-Team All-Pro, a four-time Pro Bowler, revolutionizing the way that people play offense, catching 501 passes for 8,685 yards, and 67 touchdowns, and being a huge part of two Super Bowl victories, Cliff Branch is not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Branch was way ahead of his time, but he hasn’t even been considered since 2010.
Embarrassingly, Lynn Swann, a mediocre receiver with 165 catches, 3.223 yards, and 16 fewer touchdowns than Branch is in. Swann was a finalist every year he was eligible after retiring in 1982 before getting inducted in 2001. This exposes the flawed and pathetic political problem that the Pro Football Hall of Fame needs to fix. Hopefully they rectify this horrible omission before they make the same mistake they had with Kenny Stabler, who was only allowed in once he passed away.
6. Marcus Allen
From a player that the league disrespected to a player that the Raiders disrespected, we find ourselves with the best running back in Raider history. I considered leaving Allen off the list because he played with a team that isn’t worth mentioning on this list. But ultimately it wasn’t his fault that his time in Los Angeles ended the way that it did. Considering that Allen’s 8,454 yards and 79 touchdowns with the Raiders are what put him in the Hall of Fame, despite splitting carries and blocking for the tail end of his time with the Raiders, he’s still an all-time great. His bust in Canton will spend eternity running with the night.
5. Tim Brown
Let’s list the quarterbacks that played with Tim Brown. Sure, he had five seasons with Rich Gannon, but injuries brought that to a premature end, and Brown was 33 years old when Gannon arrived. Marvin Harrison had Peyton Manning. Jerry Rice had Joe Montana and Steve Young. Tim Brown had Jeff George, Brian Griese, Todd Marinovich, Billy Joe Hobert, Jeff Hostetler, Rob Johnson, Brad Johnson, Chris Simms, Marques Tuiasosopo, Donald Hollas, Wade Wilson, and David Klinger. Despite that, Brown ended up catching 1,094 passes for almost 15,000 yards and 100 touchdowns. Brown had to wait a heinously long 11 years to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame for reasons unknown. But he’s been a legend in the hearts and minds of the Raider Nation since the very beginning.
4. Howie Long
Eight Pro Bowls, five All-Pros, an NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, 91.5 sacks, a Lombardi Trophy, a spectacular flat-top and a bust in Canton earn Howie Long a spot in the top five. Long was the face of the Raiders defense during their heyday in Los Angeles, and was able to dominate from any position on the defensive line. Long was the greatest defensive player in Raiders history, and remains a Raider in spirit to this day.
3. Gene Upshaw
Gene Upshaw was the greatest guard in the history of Pro Football. He helped form offensive lines so dominant that the Raiders were able to vanquish some of the best defenses of all time. Upshaw’s offensive lines allowed the Raiders to dominate Minnesota’s “Purple People Eaters” in Super Bowl XI. Beyond that, Upshaw anchored an offensive line that helped slow down Pittsburgh’s “Steel Curtain”, one of the best defenses of all time. Without even getting into all the work that Upshaw did for the NFL as a member of the NFLPA, Upshaw left a Hall of Fame legacy.
2. Kenny Stabler
There have been so many great passers in Raider history, but none of them have epitomized the Raiders quite like Stabler did. Gannon may have set most of the passing records, Daryle Lamonica may have revolutionized the passing game, and Jim Plunkett may have won the most Super Bowls. But none of them had the swagger, the flair, or the knack for clutch plays that “the Snake” had. Kenny Stabler was Brett Favre before Brett Favre was Brett Favre, and the Raider Nation hopes against hope that Derek Carr will leave half the legacy that Stabler did.
1. Al Davis
While Al Davis never played a down for the Oakland Raiders, there’s no question that he truly is the greatest Raider of all time. Davis revolutionized the entire league. His obsession with rushing the passer, physical cornerbacks, and the vertical passing game helped create one of the most dominant teams in NFL History. NFL.com held a tournament to determine the greatest team of all time, and the 1976 Raiders won in a landslide. Press coverage, hitting the quarterback, and throwing the ball deep are aspects of the game that are more important now than ever. Al Davis was the last man to develop a football league that could rival the NFL, and thanks to his contributions, he may be the last ever.
Having said that, this article was just my opinion. There have been hundreds of great players that I had to leave off. Guys like Dave Casper, Bo Jackson, Jack Tatum, and others are just as unfairly absent from my list as players like Lester Hayes or Cliff Branch are from the Hall of Fame. Who are your top ten Raiders of all time? Let me know in the comments below.
