I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for the Raiders, whether they were in Los Angeles, Oakland or Las Vegas.

There are certain franchises that have an aura or mystique about them that makes their entire sport better off when they’re great. The New York Yankees in baseball. The Boston Celtics & Los Angeles Lakers in basketball. I imagine the Montreal Canadiens or Toronto Maple Leafs would do that for hockey, but it’s been ages for both franchises.

For the Raiders, it’s not so much a mystique as it is an attitude. Al Davis & his “Just Win, Baby” brand. The Raiders were the baddest team on the block. While others tried to be America’s Team, the Raiders were good with being America’s nightmare. The cool looking logo & merchandise was made even more iconic by the West Coast rap scene.

Then the 21st century happened, and the Raiders have been largely irrelevant for two decades now. There have been brief periods where it looked like the Raiders were back, but then they weren’t. As somebody who grew up watching Bo Jackson truck people and hearing about the Commitment to Excellence, it’s a bit of a shame. Hopefully Leigh Mayock’s father can help turn this franchise around.

Until then, here are the top 5 Oakland / Los Angeles / Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders Quarterbacks!

5. Derek Carr

Statistically speaking, Carr is the best Raiders QB of all time. Most passing yards. Most touchdowns. Highest completion percentage. Lowest interception percentage. Highest QB rating. He’s been selected to three Pro Bowls and was an MVP candidate in 2016. So why isn’t he #1? The thing is, while his numbers pop out compared to Raiders QBs of previous eras, they don’t compared to QBs of his era. He’s only finished in the top 10 in passing yards twice, while leading the NFL twice in fumbles. Fumbles aren’t a great way to generate goodwill with a fanbase.

There’s also the fact that the Raiders have only made one postseason appearance during Carr’s tenure, a Wild Card game in the 2016 season that Carr didn’t even play in due to injury. You can argue that this isn’t entirely Carr’s fault because he needs a better team around him. It’s a good point, but we can’t rank Carr as the best Raiders quarterback of all time until he has some level of postseason success. His predecessors have done too much in that regard to be tossed aside so easily.

4. Daryle Lamonica

The Mad Bomber started his professional with the Buffalo Bills in the AFL, where he spent four seasons backing up Jack Kemp. The Raiders traded for him in 1967, and he led them to a 13-1 record, the AFL Championship & a Super Bowl berth while leading the league in touchdown passes & winning the MVP award. He also won the MVP award in 1969 while leading the AFL with 3,302 passing yards, 34 touchdowns & 25 interceptions. Lamonica was selected to four Pro Bowls while with the Raiders.

Lamonica’s accuracy was his main weakness, his highest completion percentage in a season was 53%. He didn’t fare well against zone defenses, which led to him being replaced by Ken Stabler in 1973. Lamonica’s overall starting QB winning percentage of .801 is still the second best in history, only behind Otto Graham’s .814.

3. Jim Plunkett

Plunkett was selected by the New England Patriots with the first overall pick of the 1971 NFL Draft. His time there was largely disappointing, as were two seasons with the 49ers. He went to the Raiders in 1978 to serve as a backup, and didn’t do much of anything until 1980, when Dan Pastroni got hurt during a game against the Chiefs. Plunkett’s five-interception performance in relief didn’t exactly inspire confidence, but the Raiders felt they had no choice but to go with Plunkett the rest of the season.

It worked out pretty well. Plunkett threw for nearly 2300 yards in eleven games as the Raiders had a 9-2 record and ended up winning Super Bowl XV. Plunkett’s 261 yards & 3 touchdowns in the game led to him being voted the game’s MVP. Plunkett led the Raiders to another Super Bowl victory three seasons later, but spent time before, during & after exchanging the starting QB job with Marc Wilson. Plunkett never got a Pro Bowl selection or led the league in anything while with the Raiders, but he is fondly remembered due to those two Super Bowl victories & that Super Bowl XV MVP. He was 38-19 with the Raiders, so he did well when he got a chance.

2. Rich Gannon

Gannon had an up & down career before making it to Oakland, with stints in Minnesota, Washington & Kansas City. It wasn’t until he made it to the Raiders and Jon Gruden’s offense that he lived up to his full potential. Gannon threw for over 3,400 yards & at least 24 touchdowns during his first four seasons with the Raiders, coming at ages 34-37. He made the Pro Bowl each season, even winning Pro Bowl game MVP in 2000 & 2001. 2002 saw him lead the Raiders to the Super Bowl, lead the league in passing yards with 4,689 (still a franchise record), and get voted league MVP.

Gannon’s run came to an end with serious injuries ending his 2003 & 2004 seasons. His time as Raiders starting QB marks the most recent time that the franchise won the AFC West or made the playoffs in consecutive seasons. The Raiders have made one playoff appearance since 2002.

Honorable Mention: George Blanda

Blanda had already played eighteen seasons before arriving in Oakland to serve as kicker/backup quarterback in 1967. He served well in the kicking role, and in 1970 at 43 years old would have quite the run at quarterback with Daryle Lamonica leaving multiple games due to injury. He became the oldest player to play quarterback in a championship game…you can guess who would eventually break that record. Blanda’s inspirational run won him the AP’s Male Athlete of the Year & the Bert Bell Award. He would retire in 1975 after twenty-six seasons in the NFL. You can guess who will try to break that record.

1. Ken Stabler

Stabler arrived in Oakland in 1968, but it took him until 1973 to finally get a chance at QB1 due to the presence of Daryle Lamonica. Once he got that chance, Stable made the most of it. He was selected to the Pro Bowl four out of his first five seasons as a regular quarterback, and didn’t lose more than three games in a regular season until 1978. He led the league in completion percentage & touchdown passes twice & compiled a 69-26-1 record as Raiders starting quarterback.

Stabler was the man that got the Raiders over the hump and won their first Super Bowl at the end of the 1975 season. This was part of a stretch where the Raiders made five consecutive conference championship games, a record eventually surpassed by…you know who. Until Derek Carr came along, he led the Raiders in every relevant passing category. Stabler was finally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016, which probably would have been nicer if he hadn’t passed away in 2015.

This being a wrestling website first, you knew “The Snake” had to top the list, right?

Thanks for reading! Join us next time when we conclude our trip through the AFC West with the Los Angeles Chargers!