If you venture to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, you'd have to wear a blindfold to avoid every homage paid to a legendary Raiders player or moment in the franchise's iconic history. The Silver and Black are baked into the DNA of the game of the football.
But the team has fallen on hard times, particularly in the last two decades. Ahead of the 2026 NFL season, however, the Raiders have a glimmer of hope under Klint Kubiak and with several promising players, both young and old, on the roster.
So, before things get chaotic in the heat of training camp and the preseason, let's take stock of who exactly in Las Vegas has a Hall of Fame case, or could have one someday in the future. Not many options exist as far as current Raiders, but let's rank them in terms of likelihood anyway.
Current Las Vegas Raiders players with best Hall of Fame cases
Hopeful Honorable Mentions: RB Ashton Jeanty, QB Fernando Mendoza
No, Jeanty's rookie campaign was nothing to write home about, but he has drawn comparisons to players like Barry Sanders and was recently co-signed by LaDainian Tomlinson. He is still a generational talent at running back, after all, and a tough year amid chaos doesn't change that.
With Kubiak at the helm for hopefully the rest of Jeanty's long career with the Raiders, he can carve out a nice résumé and put some accolades next to that mountain of talent that he has. The same, of course, is hopefully true for Mendoza, the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Quarterbacks always have an upper hand getting into the Hall of Fame, and Mendoza has shades of Peyton Manning and Matt Ryan in his game, who are enshrined or will be soon. Fans probably can't imagine that kind of talent under center anymore, but Mendoza represents a beacon of hope.
(If Jermod McCoy stays healthy, I may sneak him onto this list, too.)
4. P A.J. Cole
Specialists always have a hard time getting a bust in Canton, but Cole has been a tremendous player during his time as a Raider. In seven seasons, he has three Pro Bowls and two First-Team All-Pros to his name, and he is the current all-time NFL leader in average yards per punt. That is significant.
It would likely take him years and years of punting at the same clip to have the voters even consider him for a spot, however. Shane Lechler isn't in the Hall of Fame, for crying out loud. But Cole is still one of the closest on the Silver and Black to getting there.
3. QB Kirk Cousins
Barring a major event late in his career, Cousins isn't likely to be Canton-bound. But it's surprising just how close he is. According to Pro Football Reference's Approximate Value chart, which has been accurate at predicting HOF players in the past, Cousins is sandwiched between surefire enshrinees.
Based on that value, he has accomplished as much as Ed Reed, J.J. Watt and Derrick Thomas, just less than Jason Kelce, Jim Kelly or Von Miller, and more than Eric Allen, Adrian Peterson or George Blanda. Lack of playoff success may exclude him, but maybe the tide turns. It's not impossible.
Plus, it doesn't hurt that he is 12th in all-time passer rating and has the 15th-most touchdowns, 17th-most completions and 19th-most yards in NFL history, all while completing the 7th-highest percentage of his passes in league history. Cousins has a better résumé than most think.
2. TE Brock Bowers
Bowers has obviously played just two seasons, but he is pretty much on a Hall of Fame trajectory. With a record-setting rookie campaign in which he was a First-Team All-Pro, and already with two Pro Bowls to his name, if Bowers can keep up at this pace, he could be a shoo-in for Canton.
Of course, steady quarterback play over the next decade or so would go a long way in helping him get there, but ideally, Mendoza is the solution to that problem. All Bowers needs to do is more of the same, and he'll have a bust in the Hall of Fame one day.
1. DE Maxx Crosby
Crosby edges out Bowers on this list simply because he has accomplished more, having played more years in the league. With five Pro Bowls and two Second-Team All-Pro nods under his belt, Crosby already has a solid résumé, and he should explode in a better Raiders defense in the coming years.
He is already 19th on the all-time tackles for loss list, and with a few more strong seasons, he should climb even more. If Crosby can just finish more sacks, continue to rack up individual accolades and hopefully see some team success, then he could join other Raiders legends in Canton.
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