Three top-10 rushers in franchise history compete for a spot on the All-Quarter Century Team.
Silver and Black Pride is continuing its All-Quarter Century Team series, where you get to vote on who the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders’ best players of the 2000s have been so far. The quarterbacks were up recently, and now it’s time to see who they’ll be sharing a backfield with, as it’s time to vote on a running back.
The Raiders have had a few notable rushers over the last 25 years, with Tyrone Wheatley (ninth), Darren McFadden (seventh) and Josh Jacobs (third) all ranking in the franchise’s top 10 for rushing yards.
Tyrone Wheatley
Raiders Stats: 3682 rushing yards (4.0 ypc), 32 rushing TDs, 92 catches, 682 receiving yards, 5 receiving TDs (6 seasons, 78 games)
Accolades: none
While Wheatley never received any personal accolades or awards, he was an integral part of the Raiders’ consecutive playoff runs from 2000 to 2002. The 6-foot and 235-pound running back had a punishing running style to serve as a great complement to Napoleon Kaufman and Charlie Garner in Jon Gruden’s offense during Gruden’s first stint in Oakland. Wheatley had his best season in 2000, the only 1,000-yard rushing performance of his career and a personal high of nine rushing touchdowns. For what it’s worth, 242 rushes, 936 yards and eight touchdowns of the stat line above did come during the 1999 campaign, though.
Darren McFadden
Raiders Stats: 4,247 rushing yards (4.1 ypc), 25 rushing TDs, 211 catches, 1,769 receiving yards, 5 receiving TDs (7 seasons, 83 games)
Accolades: none
Even with Ashton Jeanty going sixth overall last April, McFadden remains the highest-drafted running back in franchise history. The 2008 No. 4 overall pick battled several injuries during his tenure with the Silver and Black, but still ranks seventh in all-time rushing yards for the organization. His best season with the Raiders came in 2010, when he rushed for 1,157 yards (5.2 ypc) and seven touchdowns while playing in just 13 games. Until Kolton Miller signed an extension in 2021, there was a long stretch where McFadden was the only former first-round pick to receive a second contract from the club.
Josh Jacobs
Raiders Stats: 5,545 rushing yards (4.2 ypc), 46 rushing TDs, 197 catches, 1,448 receiving yards, 0 receiving TDs (5 seasons, 73 games)
Accolades: 2x Pro Bowl (2020, 2022), First-Team All-Pro (2022), NFL Leading Rusher (2022)
Gruden and then-general manager Mike Mayock became known for completely whiffing on first-round picks during their tenure in Oakland and Las Vegas, but Jacobs wasn’t one of them. The 2019 No. 24 overall pick hit the ground running with a 1,150-yard campaign as a rookie, finishing second to Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. Jacobs managed to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in three out of five seasons with the Silver and Black, including a 1,653-yard performance in 2022 that is the second-best single-season performance by a running back in franchise history. He also helped the team earn a playoff spot in 2021 and left as the organization’s third-leading rusher of all time.
So, which running back are you going with for the Raiders’ 2000s All-Quarter Century Team?
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