Oakland Raiders 2019 season jersey countdown: No. 99

There are 99 days until the start of the 2019 NFL season for the Oakland Raiders, and we take a look at those players who wore No. 99 in the Silver and Black.

The Oakland Raiders now officially have less than 100 days before kicking off their 2019 season, where they will look to become a contender in the AFC West. The combination of Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden brought in a ton of talent this offseason, and with 99 days left before Week 1, we begin our jersey number countdown.

We start our countdown with jersey No. 99.

Who wears No. 99 now?

Arden Key (2018-present)

During the 2018 NFL Draft, the Oakland Raiders selected Arden Key, a solid edge rusher from LSU in the third round. With that selection, they looked to add a pure edge rusher in passing downs, fitting him alongside starters Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin as a rookie.

Unfortunately, Key was thrown into the fire as a rookie, as Mack was traded before the season, and Irvin was wildly disappointing in trying to fill Mack’s shoes. Key will have to be better in year two, where he could move back into a situational pass rusher, with the Raiders adding Maxx Crosby and Clelin Ferrell via the NFL Draft this past April.

Key kicks off our countdown to Week 1 series, as he currently wears No. 99. There are officially 99 days until the start of the 2019 NFL season for the Silver and Black, who are looking to bounce back from a four-win season in Jon Gruden’s return to the sidelines.

Who wore No. 99 in the past?

Ruben Vaughan (1982)

The first member of the Silver and Black to wear the No. 99 was Ruben Vaughan, who spent only one season with the team. In nine games, Vaughan had four sacks, by far his best of his three seasons in the NFL.

Sean Jones (1984-1987)

Sean Jones was a second round pick of the Raiders back in 1984, coming to the team via Northwestern, and played with the team for four years. His third season was by far his best, where he racked up 15.5 sacks for the 1986 team. Jones would go to be a Super Bowl champion, and Pro Bowler for the Green Bay Packers.

Winston Moss (1991-1994)

Drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1987, Winston Moss made his way to the Raiders franchise for the 1991 season. He spent four seasons with the team, starting nearly every game, and had over 100 tackles during the 1993 season. Moss would go on to win a Super Bowl with Green Bay as a coach.

Aundray Bruce (1995-1998)

Coming out of Auburn, many thought that Aundray Bruce would be the next Lawrence Taylor, and he was taken No. 1 overall by the Atlanta Falcons. Unfortunately for Bruce, he never amounted to anything close to LT, as his season-high for sacks was six, and in seven seasons with the Raiders, he was mostly a fill-in player.

Josh Taves (2000-2001)

Josh Taves spent two seasons in the Silver and Black, and as a 28-year old rookie in 2000, appeared in all 16 games. He finished his three-year NFL career in Carolina.

DeLawrence Grant (2002-2003)

DeLawrence Grant played his entire five-year career with the Raiders, though he only wore No. 99 for two of those seasons. The 2002 season was by far his best in Oakland, as he appeared in 16 games, started 14, and played a role in the Raiders making it to the Super Bowl.

Warren Sapp (2004-2007)

Hall of Famer Warren Sapp finished up his NFL career with the Oakland Raiders, serving as No. 99 for the last four years of his career. Coming to the team as a perennial Pro Bowler, Sapp never made a Pro Bowl during his time in the Silver and Black, but he did have ten sacks during the 2006 season.

Greg Ellis (2009)

Greg Ellis spent only one season in the Silver and Black, but it was a good one for him personally, as he started 14 games, finishing the year, and his career with a seven-sack season.

Lamarr Houston (2010-2013)

After a stellar college career at the University of Texas, the Oakland Raiders made Lamarr Houston their second round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. Houston spent four seasons with the team, starting as a rookie during the 2010 campaign, and in his final season in Oakland, during the 2013 campaign, he set a career-high with six sacks.

Aldon Smith (2015-2017)

Aldon Smith came to the Raiders franchise with his issues off the field, but showed that when he was actually able to contribute, he was still a dominant edge rusher. However, his demons off the field limited him to only nine games in 2015, as he was suspended for 2016 and 2017, while being released in March of 2018 after a domestic violence incident.

Fadol Brown (2017)

Fadol Brown wore No. 99 during the 2017 on the practice squad for the Raiders, taking it over from Aldon Smith, who was suspended. In 2018, when Brown actually got on the field with the Raiders, he move to No. 95, as rookie Arden Key got No. 99.

With only 99 days until the Raiders kick off their season against the Broncos, that means that Mandatory Minicamp is right around the corner. This is a Raiders team that should be vastly improved in 2019, and with the weapons they brought in, look for them to make some noise in a very tough AFC West.