The Raiders have had a storied history that has seen them call Oakland, Los Angeles and Las Vegas home. While the past 23 years have left plenty to be desired, the franchise was once among the perennial Super Bowl threats.
They have seen several players from their Super Bowl XI, XV and XVIII rosters earn Hall of Fame honors already. However, there are still multiple names from the franchise's history who have yet to hear their name called.
While Jack Tatum, Jim Plunkett, Steve Wisniewski, Greg Townsend, Todd Christensen and Matt Millen all have a case for the Hall of Fame, it is Lester Hayes who is, arguably, the biggest snub in franchise history.
The fifth-round pick in the 1977 NFL Draft spent his entire ten-year career in the Silver and Black and is widely considered one of the greatest shutdown cornerbacks of his generation. He was recently named as a senior nominee for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2026.
Lester Hayes deserves to receive long overdue Hall of Fame honor
Hayes had an incredible ten-year career as he recorded 39 interceptions, seven fumble recoveries and five defensive touchdowns. He was named to five All-Pro Teams, five Pro Bowls and the NFL's 1980s All-Decade Team. He helped the Raiders win two Super Bowls, including during his legendary 1980 season, where he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
During that historic season, Hayes recorded 13 interceptions, which is tied for the second-most in NFL history and the most since the AFL-NFL merger. He added another five interceptions in the postseason, which is tied for the most in a single playoff run, while also recording 2.0 sacks and one defensive touchdown. His 18 interceptions between the regular season and postseason are an NFL record, four more than the next highest player.
While Hayes' play that postseason was on a different level, he was a consistent postseason performer throughout his career. In 13 games, he recorded eight interceptions, 2.0 sacks and two defensive touchdowns. Additionally, seven of those interceptions came in years in which he helped lead the team to a Super Bowl title. His eight postseason interceptions are the fifth-most in NFL history, with four others having nine career playoff picks.
Hayes is one of 52 players who were named as senior nominees. The list will be reduced to 25 players, then down to nine over the next several weeks. The Seniors Blue-Ribbon Committee will then reveal the three finalists for the Class of 2026. While every finalist had been inducted since 2010, that changed in 2024 when former Raiders wide receiver Art Powell was named a finalist but did not earn the honors.
Powell joins Hayes, Millen, Roger Craig and Albert Lewis as players who spent time with the Raiders who were named as senior nominees. Tatum, Plunkett, Christensen, Dave Grayson, Max Montoya, Rod Martin and Pat Swilling were former Raiders who were named to the initial list of 162 players, but did not make the first cut.
RELATED: Raiders humiliated as two former coaches crack worst hire list of century
Hayes' induction would be long overdue, as he certainly has the accolades, stats, peak and longevity to earn the illustrious honor. It should not come as a surprise to Raiders fans that he has had to wait, however, as that has been a trend in recent years.
Ken Stabler and Cliff Branch were both inducted more than 30 years after their playing careers ended, and unfortunately, for both, the honor came shortly after they passed away. While Tom Flores was still around for his induction in 2021, he was in his 80s and had not coached in the NFL for nearly 30 years, with his Raiders tenure that earned him the honors ending in 1987.
Meanwhile, for a long time, Plunkett had been the only Hall of Fame-eligible quarterback to lead their team to two Super Bowl wins and not earn induction. While Eli Manning joined him on that list after failing to be inducted in his first year of eligibility, many expect the long-time New York Giants quarterback to earn those honors sooner rather than later.
Plunkett, on the other hand, will not even be under consideration as he failed to make the list of the final 52 candidates. While Hayes, who is now 70 years old, has been retired for nearly 40 years -- calling it quits after the 1986 season -- he has yet to receive the call despite an illustrious career.
While there are still several steps for him to make it through to earn the honor, Hayes has taken the first step towards induction after surviving the first of four cuts before the final stage. Raiders fans are hopeful that 2026 will finally be the year he receives the long-overdue call to take his rightful place in Canton, among his fellow NFL legends.