3 former Raiders who should be Hall of Famers before Julian Edelman
No. 2: Jim Plunkett
Coming out of Stanford, Jim Plunkett was viewed as the “best pro quarterback prospect in a long time,” this after winning the Heisman Trophy. The No. 1 overall pick by the New England Patriots, Plunkett battled through injuries during his start in the league and was eventually traded away to the San Francisco 49ers.
After two seasons with the 49ers, Plunkett made his way to the Oakland Raiders, where he was brought in to serve as a backup. He did that for a few seasons before Dan Pastorini got injured against Kansas City, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Plunkett ended up leading the Raiders to two Super Bowl victories in both Super Bowl XV and Super Bowl XVIII and was the Most Valuable Players in the Super Bowl XV victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Those two wins alone are enough to get him into the Hall of Fame, but he also was the 1980 Comeback Player of the Year, and you really cannot write the history of the NFL without him.
People will point to his touchdown-to-interception ratio or the fact he was never a Pro Bowler or All-Pro, but he has two rings, and that is enough to get him into Canton.