We hit 24 in our Raiders countdown to kickoff. Who wore it best and who's wearing it now
No. 24
Who's wearing it now: No one
Marcus Peters was the last to wear it in 2023, which was his final season in the NFL.
Who wore it best: CB Willie Brown
Brown joined the Raiders in 1967 having already gone to two Pro Bowls. He had seven interceptions that season and the Raiders made their first Super Bowl. And Brown made his third Pro Bowl to begin a string of seven straight Pro Bowls, four times named an All Pro. In 1976, the Raiders would go back to the Super Bowl. This time they would win it. And in epic style, with 'Old Man Willie' intercepting a Fran Tarkenton pass and returning it 75 yards for the score.
In his 12 years in a Raider uniform, Willie had 39 interceptions in the regular season and seven more in the playoffs. He was a no-brainer first ballot Hall of Famer.
Honorable Mention: DB Charles Woodson
Only in a world where someone like Willie Brown wore the same number would Woodson take a backseat to anyone. And, quite honestly, had he not spent seven years in Green Bay in the middle of his career, he'd take the top spot here.
Woodson was the Raiders pick at number four overall in the 1998 NFL Draft as the only ever primarily defensive player to win the Heisman. He didn't miss a beat, winning AP Defensive Rookie of the Year and starting his career with four straight Pro Bowls. Then he would six seasons without making the Pro Bowl, including two in Green Bay.
It was with the Packers that Woodson would reach his greatest heights, including getting a Super Bowl ring and winning NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
In 2013, at the age of 37, he would rejoin the Raiders this time as a safety and play his final three seasons in Oakland, making the Pro Bowl in his final season and riding off into the sunset on his terms. A truly legendary career.
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