Raiders’ dishonor roll of free agent signings
Let’s face it. One of the reasons the Raiders have been a subpar franchise for the better part of the last quarter century or so is because of their choices in free agency.
One need look no further than the last two years, when injury or poor performance has been an issue with tackle Trent Brown, slot corner Lamarcus Joyner, wide receiver Tyrell Williams and linebacker Cory Littleton, defensive end Carl Nassib, to name a few.
For purposes of listing the Raiders’ worst 10 free agent selections of the last 30 years, I’ll exempt those signed before the 2020 season. They arrived with no offseason and in a pandemic and the sample size is too small.
Which doesn’t mean players such as Littleton and Nassib in particular couldn’t wind up being worthy of placement on a bottom-10 list at some point.
A list of the Raiders top 10 free agents of the past 30 years posted on Tuesday.
On we go, with the Raiders taking another swing at it when the free agency period begins on March 17:
1. JAVON WALKER (2008) >> Walker had slipped from his Green Bay days in terms of performance and was coming off a 26-catch season with 287 yards and no touchdowns in Denver. The Raiders signed Walker to a six-year, $44 million deal. Walker talked of retirement during his first training camp. The Raiders talked him out of it and got 15 catches for 196 yards and one touchdown in 11 games. They paid him $21 million.
2. LARRY BROWN (1996) >> The recipient of two gift interceptions for the Dallas Cowboys from Pittsburgh’s Neil O’Donnell in the Super Bowl, Brown got a five-year, $12 million deal to sign with the Raiders. A zone corner miscast in a man-to-man defense, Brown fell behind Terry McDaniel and Albert Lewis. Brown was also beset by personal issues at the time, sustained heel injuries and ended up playing 12 games in two seasons before being released.
3. SEAN SMITH: (2016) >> A tall, rangy corner signed away from the Kansas City Chiefs for four years and $38 million, Smith immediately had issues in coverage. In his first game in New Orleans, Smith was benched by coach Jack Del Rio after giving up a 98-yard touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks. Smith played two seasons before agreeing to a plea bargain for felony assault against his sister’s boyfriend and was out of football after two seasons at age 30.
4. GIBRIL WILSON (2008) >> A 6-foot, 207 pound safety, Wilson signed a six-year, $39 million deal after winning a Super Bowl with the New York Giants against the New England Patriots. He lasted one season, collecting more than $9 million in salary and bonus money, intercepting two passes in 16 games. At the midway point of the season, Wilson was questioning the Raiders’ direction after they abruptly released trade acquisition DeAngelo Hall before guaranteed money came due.
5. LAMARCUS JOYNER (2019) >> Coming off a solid year for the NFC champion Rams as a safety, Joyner signed a four-year, $42 million deal with the Raiders with $21.3 million guaranteed to play slot corner. Coach Jon Gruden’s vision was that Joyner would play
in the middle of the field as Ronde Barber did with Gruden’s mid-2000s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Joyner has made little impact in two seasons with no interceptions, has been victimized repeatedly in coverage and may not see a third season in silver and black.
6. VONTAZE BURFICT (2019) >> Burfict didn’t come with a huge price tag (one year, $2 million) but was entrusted by defensive coordinator Paul Guenther with being
the defensive play-caller as the two had collaborated in Cincinnati. The Raiders rolled the dice that the oftsuspended and frequently fined Burfict could keep things under control. Burfict was suspended after four games for the rest of the season for a helmet-to-helmet hit because of repeated violations of the NFL safety code.
7. LAMARR WOODLEY (2014) >> After compiling 57 sacks in five seasons as an outside
linebacker in a 3-4 defense in Pittsburgh, Woodley signed a two-year, $12 million deal as a rush end with the Raiders. Woodley insisted the role was better suited for his skills, but was a complete non-factor, with no sacks and five tackles in six games and five starts before being released.
8. AARON BROOKS (2006) >> After Kerry Collins was released following a 7-21 record over two seasons, Brooks joined the Art ShellTom
Walsh offense in 2006 as the starting quarterback on a two-year, $9 million deal. Brooks started the first eight games of the season, losing all of them, completing 58.7 percent of his passes with three touchdowns and eight interceptions and absorbing 26 sacks before being replaced by Andrew Walter. Brooks never played another NFL game.
9. RAY BUCHANAN (2004) >> Primarily a cornerback in his first 11 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons, Buchanan arrived to play free safety for the Raiders with 47 career interceptions and the nickname “Big Play Ray.” With the Raiders, he became “No Play Ray,” intercepting one pass in 16 games. Buchanan had signed a five-year, $12 million deal at age 33 and lasted just that one season and didn’t play again.
10. DESMOND HOWARD (1997) Al Davis infatuation with Super Bowl heroes manifested itself in the signing of Howard, who was the MVP of Super Bowl XXXI for Green Bay against New England primarily for his kick returns. After signing a four-year, $6 million, the goal as stated by coach Joe Bugel was to unearth Howard’s skill as a physical receiver. Howard had a better second season under Gruden in 1998, but was gone after two years.