Las Vegas Raiders: 15 greatest offensive linemen in franchise history

Best offensive lineman in Raiders history: 11. Donald Penn

Only positive things can be said about Donald Penn’s tenure with the Silver and Black. The former undrafted free agent out of Utah State kicked off his career with the Minnesota Vikings, but was released before even playing a game for them.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ultimately gave him a chance, and Penn took it and ran. Penn spent seven years with the Buccaneers before joining the Raiders, earning one Pro Bowl nomination before making the move to the Bay Area in 2014.

Penn was signed for a two-year contract worth $9.6 million. In those two seasons, Penn impressed enough to earn a two-year extension on top of that worth $21 million. The raise helped, as Penn went on to earn Pro Bowl honors in 2016 and 2017 before getting hurt and missing 12 games in the 2018 NFL season.

With new tackles in the fold, Penn lost his starting left tackle job, tried to switch over to right tackle, but could not stay healthy. Penn was released at the end of the 2018 NFL season, but his four seasons in Silver and Black were nothing short of stellar.

His 2016 NFL season was phenomenal, helping the Raiders make the AFC playoffs. Unfortunately, the lone sack he surrendered that season led to Derek Carr’s broken leg and Penn ultimately missed the wild card game against the Houston Texans due to injury.

Regardless, Penn’s time with the Raiders was good. He held down the left tackle position for four years, which is much more than many could say for the last decade or two.