The Las Vegas Raiders have made many questionable first-round picks over the last several years, but one that stands out was taking cornerback Damon Arnette with the 19th pick in 2020.
Arnette was thought to be a second or third-round pick, but former general manager Mike Mayock felt strongly that he was good enough to be a top-20 pick. The Raiders quickly regretted the decision, as Arnette got into legal trouble as a rookie and was cut during his second season after making death threats to a person on social media.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins gave him a chance, but he wasn't able to get on the field for either team.
damon arnette
Former Las Vegas Raiders CB Damon Arnette.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
He hasn't been on an NFL roster since early 2022 and hasn't played a game in three seasons. Arnette recently joined the Houston Roughnecks of the UFL, and now that he's back playing football, he's hoping for another chance in the NFL.
According to a story from KPRC 2's Aaron Wilson, "several" teams have reached out to the Roughnecks to talk about Arnette. While getting back to the NFL is the goal, the cornerback is just happy to be playing football again.
“It’s easy for me to stay in the moment because I had to work so hard to get here," Arnette said. "Just being able to play football again, on any level, is the best opportunity and best gift that God could have rewarded me with, with all the right decisions that I feel like I’ve been making. I didn’t want anything but a Gatorade squirt bottle and a helmet. When I talked to Coach CJ, he said that I can finally come back. I was like, ‘Man, I just want a Gatorade bottle. I haven’t used a Gatorade Squirt bottle in a long time.
“It’s just the little things about the game that you miss the most, that you take for granted. So, it’s easy for me to stay in the moment. That’s all I’m thinking about right now, is this game and then the game after that, and the game after that. I want to win this whole thing for Coach CJ because I just feel like I’m a part of this family right now, and this is the only thing that matters to me.”