6 best players who spent only one season with the Raiders

6 best players who spent only one season with the Raiders

6. Maurice Jones-Drew – Oakland Raiders, 2014

Maurice Jones-Drew is one of many running backs who had one last shot at glory with the Raiders but were unable to produce the way they had in the past. Jones-Drew was chosen in the 2nd round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars and formed a formidable one-two punch with the legendary Fred Taylor.

The former UCLA Bruin backed up Taylor for three seasons but still had very good seasons, averaging more than 1,200 yards from scrimmage and recording 34 rushing touchdowns. Once named the starter in 2009, Jones-Drew became one of the best backs in the NFL and rattled off three straight seasons with more than 1,300 rushing yards.

He was named to the Pro Bowl three times and was a First-Team All Pro in 2011 when he rushed for 1,600 yards and had nearly 2,000 yards from scrimmage.

After two poor seasons that featured a holdout and a season ending injury, Jones-Drew chose to sign a 3-year deal with his hometown Oakland Raiders in 2014. Unfortunately, he was ineffective and was overshadowed in the Raiders backfield by both Darren McFadden and rookie Latavius Murray.

Rather than keep struggling, Jones-Drew chose to retire after the 2014 season and begin work in broadcasting. It was an ignominious end to an otherwise excellent career but it is typical for running backs to fall off a cliff once age and injuries catch up to them and Jones-Drew was no different.