Oakland Raiders: 5 Of The Worst Free Agent Signings In Team History
By Kevin Saito
Dec 21, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders fan Mark Acascio aka Gorilla Rilla cheers in the Black Hole end zone against the Buffalo Bills at O.co Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Bills 26-24. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
If there was one thing Al Davis loved more than anything else in the world – aside from velour jumpsuits – it was guys with speed. It seemed like Davis could never have enough guys with world class speed on the roster. Guys like Desmond Howard.
Davis watched Howard put up a fantastic season in 1996 as a kick and punt returner. As a member of the Green Bay Packers, Howard fielded 58 punts for 875 yards – a 15.1 yards per return average – and score three times. He took 22 kickoffs and returned those for another 460 yards. He also won Super Bowl MVP honors that year after returning four kickoffs for 154 yards – taking one of them back for a game clinching score, and taking six punts back for 90 yards.
As a receiver though, Howard’s contribution was negligible – 13 receptions for 95 yards. But hey, he was fast.
Howard was signed to a four year, $6 million dollar deal. It wasn’t a terribly financially draining signing, but it also wasn’t one of Davis’ better moves. In Oakland, he never flashed the ability he did in Green Bay and was cut after two disappointing seasons.
Next: Number Four