There was a time when the Raiders were one of the NFL’s premier franchises. The team won three Super Bowls from 1976 to 1983 and was consistently a powerhouse. From 1967 to 1985, the Raiders missed the playoffs just four times.
Fast forward to today, and they are arguably one of the worst franchises in the NFL and haven’t won a playoff game since 2002. A sign of how bad things have gotten for the Raiders is how happy players who leave the franchise appear to be.
Running back Josh Jacobs was an All-Pro and team captain during his time in Las Vegas but the team decided to let him walk in free agency. He decided to sign with the Green Bay Packers and is enjoying the winningest season of his career.
The Packers are 8-3 and Jacobs is coming off a three-touchdown performance in a win against the San Francisco 49ers. Some comments he made after the game show how happy he is to not be a Raider anymore.
“I came here because I’d seen them winning,” Jacobs said in his postgame media availability. “And I haven’t won a lot in my career, and that was a big thing for me when I’m making a decision. But not only that, man, being around these guys and seeing how hungry they are, seeing how much of pros they are on a day-to-day basis and how much it means to them, man, it makes me want to play harder, it makes me want to give everything I have.”
Keisean Nixon Talks Difference Between Raiders & Packers
When Jacobs came to the Packers, there was at least one former teammate who could relate to his experience with the Raiders. Cornerback Keisean Nixon spent three seasons with the silver and black.
When Jacobs was thinking of signing with Green Bay, Nixon revealed what he told him.
“As soon as they signed, they put us in a group chat and we was talking,” Nixon said, via The Athletic. “Josh actually called me before he even signed where he was going. He was like, ‘Man, I wanna play with you,’ and I told him that ‘it’s gonna be a big deal when you get here; it’s (not) gonna be like what we came from.’ We both came from the same organization. But it’s just something — it feel a little different when you put that ‘G’ on.”
Raiders Still Battling Hard Times
Putting on a Raiders uniform used to mean something. The Raiders played the Packers in the second-ever Super Bowl. However, one franchise has maintained consistent excellence while one has been irrelevant for two decades.
The fact that former players are essentially saying that it doesn’t feel special to play for the Raiders is quite telling. The team is 2-9 right now and seems directionless. One of the NFL’s iconic franchises is now one of the league’s worst.
It’s not impossible for the Raiders to get back to prominence but it’s going to take a lot of changes. Perhaps new part owner Tom Brady can help turn things around but that remains to be seen. For now, the Raiders are as irrelevant as they’ve ever been.
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