If you’re looking for current Raiders with a real shot at Canton someday, the list is short - but it’s not empty.
Las Vegas still has a few players who can build Hall of Fame résumés, and a couple who already look like they’re on the right track. With Klint Kubiak in place ahead of the 2026 NFL season, there’s at least a sense that some of these careers could get a cleaner runway from here. Before training camp and the preseason start stirring everything up, it’s worth sorting through the names that matter most.
A few hopefuls sit just outside the ranking. RB Ashton Jeanty didn’t exactly light up his rookie season, but he’s already been compared to Barry Sanders and recently got a nod from LaDainian Tomlinson.
The talent is still obvious, and one rough year in a messy situation doesn’t erase that. If Kubiak is around for the long haul, Jeanty has a chance to stack the kind of production and accolades that make a Hall of Fame case.
The same idea applies to QB Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Quarterbacks always have a lane to Canton, and Mendoza has shades of Peyton Manning and Matt Ryan in his game.
Fans may not picture that kind of talent under center anymore, but he’s a real beacon of hope. And if Jermod McCoy stays healthy, he might even crack this conversation too.
At No. 4 is P A.J. Cole, which tells you how tough this exercise is for specialists.
Cole has been excellent for seven seasons, earning three Pro Bowls and two First-Team All-Pro selections. He also sits as the current all-time NFL leader in average yards per punt, which is no small thing.
Still, punters have a brutal path to Canton, and it would take years of this same level of play for voters to seriously consider him. Shane Lechler isn’t in the Hall of Fame, after all.
Even so, Cole is one of the closest Raiders on the roster to getting there.
No. 3 is QB Kirk Cousins, and his case is more interesting than people might think. He’s probably not headed to Canton unless something major changes late in his career, but Pro Football Reference’s Approximate Value chart puts him in some striking company.
By that measure, he’s right there with players like Ed Reed, J.J. Watt and Derrick Thomas, and ahead of names such as Eric Allen, Adrian Peterson and George Blanda.
The playoff résumé may not help him, but the numbers do. Cousins is 12th all-time in passer rating, 15th in touchdowns, 17th in completions and 19th in passing yards, while also ranking 7th in completion percentage.
That’s a stronger Hall of Fame argument than most people give him credit for.
No. 2 is TE Brock Bowers, and he’s already moving like a future Hall of Famer. He’s only two seasons in, but his rookie year was record-setting, and he was a First-Team All-Pro right out of the gate.
Add in two Pro Bowls already, and the pace is obvious. If he keeps producing at this level, Canton starts to look less like a dream and more like the expected destination.
Better quarterback play over the next decade would help, and ideally Mendoza becomes the answer there. For Bowers, the formula is simple: keep doing what he’s doing.
At the top is DE Maxx Crosby, and he gets the edge because he’s got more years and more hardware in the bank. Crosby has five Pro Bowls and two Second-Team All-Pro honors, and that résumé already stands out.
He’s also 19th on the all-time tackles for loss list, with room to climb if he keeps stacking strong seasons. A better Raiders defense should only help him, and if he continues to pile up sacks, individual honors and, eventually, some team success, he has a clear path to joining the Raiders legends in Canton.
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