Las Vegas Raiders: 50 greatest players in franchise history

From this point on, this list will be chock full of Pro Football Hall of Famers. More than a handful earned Canton enshrinement predominantly for the great work they did over the years with the Raiders organization. One guy who is a legend for two AFC franchises is cornerback Mike Haynes.

After being a two-time All-American for the Arizona State Sun Devils, Haynes would be taken by the New England Patriots No. 5 overall in the 1976 NFL Draft. In seven years in New England, Haynes would make six trips to the Pro Bowl. However, playoff success eluded him in his 20s. He would have to make the trek westward to Los Angeles to right that ship.

Haynes would join the Silver and Black at just the right time in 1983. He arrived in what was the Raiders’ last Super Bowl Championship. The Raiders beat the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII. While he only appeared in five games for the Raiders that season, Haynes would follow up that Super Bowl campaign with three more Pro Bowls and his only two first-team All-Pro nods in 1984 and 1985.

Haynes retired from football in 1989 with the Raiders. He would earn Canton enshrinement in 1997. His classmates include Wellington Mara, Don Shula, and Mike Webster. Haynes made the NFL’s 75th Anniversary Team. His No. 40 jersey is retired by the Patriots organization. In 2001, Haynes was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He made the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team. Few cornerbacks were as talented as Haynes. He is only docked on this list because a great deal of his success came before he arrived in Los Angeles with New England.