Oakland Raiders: 10 Best Quarterbacks In Franchise History

Jan 29, 2014; New York, NY, USA; NFL former quarterback Rich Gannon speaks on Sirius XM on radio row in preparation for Super Bowl XLVIII at the Sheraton Times Square. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

4. Rich Gannon

Some would say that Gannon was a tyrant and a dictator. Others would call him a competitor. About the only thing, we can say for certain is that Gannon was the engine that drove the Raiders offense to unprecedented heights. He was a great quarterback in the right system for his skill set.

After spending time in Minnesota and Kansas City and never really becoming a front line quarterback, the Raiders signed him to a free-agent deal in 1999 and put him together with Jon Gruden to form the power couple that would create one of the most explosive offenses in team history.

There are some who still blame Gannon for that ugly Super Bowl defeat to the Buccaneers. But there was a lot going on that wasn’t his doing. No, he didn’t have a great game. In fact, he had a terrible game. But mix in the Barrett Robbins situation along with the fact that Gruden – then Tampa Bay’s coach – seemed to be predicting every play the Raiders would run, and you can see that there were a lot of things in play – and nothing good for the Raiders.

For his Raiders career, though, Gannon threw for almost eighteen thousand yards and 114 touchdowns. He compiled a 45-29 record as a starter, earned an NFL MVP award, and was selected to four Pro Bowls – along with collecting a lot of other awards and honors.

He may not have won the big one for the team, but he certainly left an indelible mark for the Raiders.

Next: The Mad Bomber!