Las Vegas Raiders: 2 players listed as possible future Hall of Famers
By Brad Weiss
ESPN recently put out who they feel will make the Hall of Fame from each franchise, and the Las Vegas Raiders had two players mentioned.
The Las Vegas Raiders have done a tremendous job revamping their roster since Mike Mayock came on as general manager, and have more talent up and down than they have had in a long time. Looking at the young players on the roster, there are a few who could end up having Hall of Fame careers, especially when you consider the monster rookie season Josh Jacobs had in 2019.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently put together a list of every player on each franchise that has a chance to make it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Raiders had only one player listed, with another one mentioned.
Jason Witten a lock
It is no big surprise that Barnwell listed Jason Witten as the only member of the Las Vegas Raiders to be a lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This is a guy who has been a gold standard player at the position for years, and should be a key contributor on this Raiders team in 2020.
Fact is, Witten earned all of his Hall of Fame credentials with the Dallas Cowboys, but he will serve as not only a mentor in the tight end room, but a red zone threat for Derek Carr this season. If he can produce the way he did when he came out of retirement last season for the Cowboys, he is a very low-risk/high-reward signing for the Silver and Black.
Rodney Hudson mentioned, but shown little love
The Raiders have one of the better centers in all of football, and he has downright dominated since putting on a Raiders uniform back in 2015. Rodney Hudson is an elite player at his position, and has been for some time, and Barnwell mentioned him as a guy who deserves more attention from the national media.
Unfortunately for Hudson, per Barnwell, he has been stuck behind Maurkice Pouncey in the AFC, and has only three Pro Bowl selections under his belt. As someone who covers the team, he should have more than just the three selections, and should have more All-Pro nods as well.
Of course, we all know that there are a bunch of former Raiders who are deserving, but are still waiting for the call from Canton like Cliff Branch, Tom Flores, and Jim Plunkett to name a few. Witten is a lock, but will be remembered for his time in Dallas, but Hudson is rounding into an all-time Raider.