Las Vegas Raiders: 50 greatest players in franchise history

Though he’s not Pro Football Hall of Fame material, some might argue that Rich Gannon is the best quarterback to have ever played for the Silver and Black. While he had some on-field success when he was with the Minnesota Vikings and the Kansas City Chiefs, Gannon would become a star in his mid-30s with the Raiders.

Gannon would only play his final six professional seasons in Oakland but was the team’s best offensive player during the first Jon Gruden era with the Raiders. He would make four straight Pro Bowls from 1999 to 2002. Gannon would twice be first-team All-Pro in 2000 and 2002. In 2002, Gannon would have the best year of his career at age 37.

He would win NFL MVP and lead the Raiders to the Super Bowl. While the Raiders would fall to the Gruden’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers down in San Diego in XXXVII, Gannon set the league on fire with his brilliant play that season. He would complete 67.6 percent of his passes for 4,689 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.

Though he only played in 10 more games for the Raiders after that outstanding 2002 MVP campaign, Gannon remains a legendary signal-caller in Silver and Black lore. He now calls games for CBS opposite Kevin Harlin. In his six years with the Raiders, Gannon went 45-29 as a starter, completing 62.6 percent of his passes for 17,585 yards, 114 touchdowns, and 50 interceptions.