Disaster struck for the Oakland Raiders in Week 1 of the 2018 NFL season, as the excitement of Jon Gruden's return to the sidelines for the Silver and Black quickly subsided when the Los Angeles Rams thrashed them by a score of 33-13 in front of a national audience on Monday Night Football.
Making matters worse was the fact that defensive tackle Justin Ellis, who had just inked a 3-year, $15 million contract extension after shining as a fourth-round pick in Oakland on his rookie deal, was injured in the contest. So, the Raiders were forced to make some kind of addition on a short week.
Enter Johnathan Hankins, a five-year vet who was signed off the street by general manager Reggie McKenzie. At the time, nobody could have imagined the career that he would carve out in Oakland and Las Vegas, but Hankins was a key fixture on the squad during the best years in recent memory.
But now, ahead of the 2026 NFL season, "Big Hank" has announced his retirement after a long and admirable career.
Former Oakland and Las Vegas Raiders DT Johnathan Hankins retires
Hankins played a total of 12 years in the NFL, four and a half of which he spent in Oakland and Las Vegas. After being selected in Round 2 by the New York Giants out of Ohio State in the 2013 NFL Draft, he spent four years there before a one-year stint with the Indianapolis Colts.
He didn't gain much traction in free agency the following offseason, which ultimately led to his arrival in the Bay Area with not much fanfare. But in four complete seasons with the Raiders, he played in 61 games, making 60 starts, and his impact went beyond what is still an impressive stat sheet.
All told as a member of the Silver and Black, Hankins totaled 182 tackles, including 13 for a loss, 2.5 sacks, 15 quarterback hits, three fumble recoveries and three batted passes. However, his impact went beyond the numbers or the win-loss column.
Across four seasons, he mentored every defensive lineman who came through Oakland or Las Vegas, including Maxx Crosby, Maurice Hurst, Arden Key, Clelin Ferrell and so many more. And his presence as an elite run-stopper was incredibly underrated, as he amassed nearly 100 run stops in four years.
When thinking about the best defensive linemen in recent memory for the Raiders, beyond Crosby, most people's minds go to "Yannick Ngakoue for one year," or "Chandler Jones before his incidents," or "Malcolm Koonce for half a year in 2023."
More respect needs to be put on Johnathan Hankins' name, though. The team's record when he was in the building was 31-38, which is about as good as anyone's has been in Oakland or Las Vegas over the years. And Hankins was a pivotal part of the 2021 playoff team.
Once the Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels regime came to Sin City, Hankins was passed over on the depth chart by Andrew Billings and was eventually dealt to the Dallas Cowboys for a late-round pick swap. The Raiders ultimately used the pick they got to trade up for Georgia safety Chris Smith II.
Hankins played for another two and a half seasons in Dallas and for the Seattle Seahawks, playing in 36 games and starting 25 of them. Again, his numbers were quite solid and not talked about enough, but he kept doing the things that made him unique and an asset in a building.
Look, Hankins was never considered an elite player, but he played for a dozen years in the NFL for five different franchises. He signed four contracts with the Raiders and was a great run defender and underrated player for seasons on end in Oakland and Las Vegas.
He leaked a few months ago that he was probably going to retire after not finding an NFL home in 2025, and on Thursday, it sounds like Hankins has finally put pen to paper and hung up his cleats for good.
Enjoy retirement, Big Hank!
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