The Raiders have been arguably the worst franchise in the NFL over the last 25 years. Part of their woes have been due to a series of bad head coach and general manager hires, but another major aspect of their troubles has been their inability to draft or develop their players well.
There are countless examples of Raiders draft selections that turned out to be busts, but more commonly, players will end up having better careers once they leave the Silver and Black. One of those players, defensive end Mario Edwards Jr., has been in the league for a decade and just re-signed with the Houston Texans on Tuesday. The contract is for two years and worth $9.5 million, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
Edwards Jr. was a second-round selection by the Oakland Raiders in 2015 and lasted only three seasons with the franchise before being waived. He was a bit injury-prone and missed almost the entire 2016 season, but he proved his value during both his first and third seasons.
Still, the Raiders released him in 2018 and now he will play in his 11th NFL season next year for his eighth different franchise. A season ago for the Texans, he was a pivotal part of their defense, recording 3.0 sacks and 31 tackles, as well as two fumble recoveries.
The Raiders have a solid crew of edge rushers on the roster as it stands now, but it is hard to look back at the team's defensive struggles over the years and not wonder if Edwards Jr. could have changed things for the franchise. He's never been a star in his NFL career, but he has proven to be more valuable than the Raiders ever thought he was.
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This story was originally published March 11, 2025 at 10:43 AM.