History of the Oakland Raiders Early years ( 1960 – 1962 ) . A few months after the first AFL draft in 1959 , the owners of the yet - unnamed Minneapolis franchise accepted an offer to join the established National Football League as an expansion team ( now called the Minnesota Vikings ) in 1961 , sending the AFL scrambling for a replacement . At the time , Oakland seemed an unlikely venue for a professional football team . The city had not asked for a team , there was no ownership group and there was no stadium in Oakland suitable for pro football ( the closest stadiums were in Berkeley and San Francisco ) and there was already a successful NFL franchise in the Bay Area in the San Francisco 49ers . However , the AFL owners selected Oakland after Los Angeles Chargers owner Barron Hilton threatened to forfeit his franchise unless a second team was placed on the West Coast . Accordingly , the city of Oakland was awarded the eighth AFL franchise on January 30 , 1960 , and the team inherited the Minneapolis club ' s draft picks . Upon receiving the franchise , a meeting of local civic leaders and businessmen was called . Chaired by former US Senator William F . Knowland , editor of the Oakland Tribune , Edgar Kaiser of Kaiser Steel , developer Robert T . Nahas and Oakland City Councilman Robert Osborne . Attending the meeting were : Oakland Mayor Clifford E . Rishell , City Councilmen : Frank J . Youell , Felix Chialvo , Glenn E . Hoover , Fred Maggiora , John C . Houlihan , Dan Marovich and Howard E . Rilea . Alameda County Board of Supervisors President Kent D . Pursel with supervisors Emanuel P . Razeto , Leland W . Sweeney and Francis Dunn . The gathering found a number of businessmen willing to invest in the new team . A limited partnership was formed to own the team headed by managing general partner Y . Charles ( Chet ) Soda ( 1908 – 1989 ) , a local real estate developer , and included general partners Ed McGah ( 1899 – 1983 ) , Robert Osborne , Oakland City Councilman ( 1898 – 1968 ) , F . Wayne Valley ( 1914 – 1986 ) , restaurateur Harvey Binns ( 1914 – 1982 ) , Olympic gold medalist Don Blessing ( 1905 – 2000 ) , and contractor Charles Harney ( 1902 – 1962 ) as well as numerous limited partners , many who attended the initial meeting . A " name the team " contest was held by the Oakland Tribune , and the winner was the Oakland Señors . After a few weeks of being the butt of local jokes ( and accusations that the contest was fixed , as Soda was fairly well known within the Oakland business community for calling his acquaintances " señor " ) , the fledgling team ( and its owners ) changed the team ' s name nine days later to the Oakland Raiders , which had finished third in the naming contest . The original team colors were black , gold and white . The now - familiar team emblem of a pirate ( or " raider " ) wearing a football helmet was created , reportedly a rendition of actor Randolph Scott . When the University of California refused to let the Raiders play home games at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley , they chose Kezar Stadium in San Francisco as their home field . The team ' s first regular season home game was played on September 11 , 1960 , a 37 – 22 loss to the Houston Oilers . Oakland Raiders games were broadcast locally on KNBC ( 680 AM ; the station later became KNBR ) , with Bud ( Wilson Keene ) Foster handling play - by - play and Mel Venter providing color analysis . Foster the " Voice of the California Golden Bears " , had a long career in radio , 1945 - 1955 as the " Voice of the Oakland Oaks " of the defunct Pacific Coast League ; Foster was the first 1946 - 1949 , 1951 - 1953 , " Voice of the San Francisco 49ers " . After the 1962 season , Foster would only call CAL ( University of California at Berkeley ) football until his retirement . Raider games , 1963 - 1965 were heard on KDIA 1410 AM , with Bob Blum and Dan Galvin . In 1966 . KGO Radio 810 signed a contract with the Oakland Raiders . Bill King was hired for the play - by - play and Scotty Sterling ( an Oakland Tribune sportswriter ) was color commentator . The Raiders were allowed to move to Candlestick Park for the final three home games of the 1960 season after gaining the approval of San Francisco ' s Recreation and Park Commission , marking the first time that professional football would be played at the new stadium . The change of venue failed to attract larger crowds for the Raiders , with announced attendance of 12 , 061 ( vs . the Chargers in a 41 – 17 loss on December 4 ) , 9 , 037 ( vs . the New York Titans in a 31 – 28 loss on December 11 ) and 7 , 000 ( estimated , vs . the Broncos in a 48 – 10 victory to close out the season on December 17 ) at Candlestick . The Raiders finished their first campaign with a 6 – 8 record , and lost $ 500 , 000 . Desperately in need of money to continue running the team , Valley received a $ 400 , 000 loan from Buffalo Bills founder Ralph C . Wilson Jr . After the conclusion of the first season Soda dropped out of the partnership , and on January 17 , 1961 , Valley , McGah and Osborne bought out the remaining four general partners . Soon after , Valley and McGah purchased Osborne ' s interest , with Valley named as the managing general partner . After splitting the previous home season between Kezar and Candlestick , the Raiders moved exclusively to Candlestick Park in 1961 , where total attendance for the season was about 50 , 000 , and finished 2 – 12 . Valley threatened to move the Raiders out of the area unless a stadium was built in Oakland , but in 1962 the Raiders moved into 18 , 000 - seat Frank Youell Field ( later expanded to 22 , 000 seats ) , their first home in Oakland . It was a temporary home for the team while the Oakland - Alameda County Coliseum was under construction . Under Marty Feldman and Red Conkright — the team ' s second and third head coaches since entering the AFL — the Raiders finished 1 – 13 in 1962 , losing their first 13 games ( and making for a 19 – game losing streak from 1961 and 1962 ) before winning the season finale , and attendance remained low . Oakland , the AFL , and AL Davis ( 1963 - 1969 ) . 1963 - 1966 . After the 1962 season , Valley hired Al Davis , a former assistant coach for the San Diego Chargers , as head coach and general manager . At 33 , he was the youngest person in professional football history to hold the positions . Davis immediately changed the team colors to silver and black , and began to implement what he termed the " vertical game , " an aggressive offensive strategy based on the West Coast offense developed by Chargers head coach Sid Gillman . Under Davis the Raiders improved to 10 – 4 , and he was named the AFL ' s Coach of the Year in 1963 . Though the team slipped to 5 – 7 – 2 in 1964 , it rebounded to an 8 – 5 – 1 record in 1965 . He also initiated the use of team slogan s such as " Pride and Poise , " " Commitment to Excellence , " and " Just Win , Baby " — all of which are registered trademark s . In April 1966 , Davis left the Raiders after being named AFL Commissioner . Two months later , the league announced its merger with the NFL . With the merger , the position of commissioner was no longer needed , and Davis entered into discussions with Valley about returning to the Raiders . On July 25 , 1966 , Davis returned as part owner of the team . He purchased a 10 percent interest in the team for US $ 18 , 000 , and became the team ' s third general partner — the partner in charge of football operations . 1967 - 1969 . On the field , the team Davis had assembled and coached steadily improved . With John Rauch ( Davis ' s hand - picked successor ) as head coach , the Raiders won the 1967 AFL Championship , defeating the Houston Oilers 40 - 7 . The win earned the team a trip to Super Bowl II , where they were beaten 33 - 14 by Vince Lombardi ' s Green Bay Packers . The following two years , the Raiders again won Western Division titles , only to lose the AFL Championship to the eventual Super Bowl winners — the New York Jets ( 1968 ) and Kansas City Chiefs ( 1969 ) . Enter John Madden . In 1969 , John Madden became the team ' s sixth head coach , and under him the Raiders became one of the most successful franchises in the NFL , winning six division titles during the 1970s . And the Two Leagues Merge . 1970 - 1971 . In 1970 , the AFL - NFL merger took place and the Raiders joined the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the newly merged NFL . The first post - merger season saw the Raiders win the AFC West with an 8 - 4 - 2 record and go all the way to the conference championship , where they lost to the Colts . Despite another 8 - 4 - 2 season in 1971 , the Raiders failed to win the division or achieve a playoff berth . 1972 - 1978 . In 1972 , with Wayne Valley out of the country for several weeks attending the Olympic Games in Munich , Davis ' s attorneys drafted a revised partnership agreement that gave him total control over all of the Raiders ' operations . McGah , a supporter of Davis , signed the agreement . Under partnership law , by a 2 – 1 vote of the general partners , the new agreement was thus ratified . Valley was furious when he discovered this , and immediately filed suit to have the new agreement overturned , but the court sided with Davis and McGah . That year would see the team achieve a 10 - 3 - 1 record and another division title . In the divisional round , they were beaten by the Steelers 13 - 7 on a play that would later be known as the Immaculate Reception . With a record of 9 - 4 - 1 in 1973 , the Raiders reached the AFC Championship , but lost 27 - 10 to the Dolphins . In 1974 , Oakland had a 12 - 2 regular season , which included a nine - game winning streak . They beat the Dolphins in the divisional round of the playoffs in a see - saw battle before falling to the Steelers in the AFC Championship . On the 1975 season opener , the Raiders beat Miami and ended the Dolphins ' 31 - game home winning streak . With an 11 - 3 record , they defeated Cincinnati in the divisional playoff round , but again fell to the Steelers in the conference championship . In 1976 , Valley sold his interest in the team , and Davis — who now owned only 25 percent of the Raiders — was firmly in charge . The Raiders beat Pittsburgh in a revenge match on the season opener and continued to cement its reputation for hard , dirty play by knocking WR Lynn Swann out for two weeks in a helmet - to - helmet collision . Al Davis later tried to sue Steelers coach Chuck Knoll for libel after the latter called safety George Atkinson a criminal for the hit . The Raiders won 13 regular season games and a close victory over New England in the playoffs . They then knocked out the injury - plagued Steelers in the AFC Championship to go to Super Bowl XI . Oakland ' s opponent was the Minnesota Vikings , a team that had lost three previous Super Bowls . The Raiders stood at 16 - 0 at halftime , forcing their opponent into multiple turnovers . By the end , they won 32 - 14 for their first post - merger championship . The following season saw the Raiders finish 11 - 3 , but lost the division title to Denver on a tiebreaker . They settled for a wild card , beating the Colts , but then fell to the Broncos in the AFC Championship . During a 1978 preseason game , Patriots WR Darryl Stingley was tragically injured by a hit from Raiders FS Jack Tatum and was left paralyzed for life . Although the Raiders achieved a winning record at 9 - 7 , they failed to qualify for the playoffs . 1979 - 1981 . After ten consecutive winning seasons and one Super Bowl championship , John Madden left the Raiders ( and coaching ) in 1979 to pursue a career as a television football commentator . His replacement was former Raiders quarterback Tom Flores , the first Hispanic head coach in NFL history . Flores led the Raiders to another 9 - 7 season , but not the playoffs . The following offseason , The popular gun - slinging quarterback Ken Stabler was traded to the Houston Oilers , a move which was unpopular and criticized at the time . In the fifth week of the 1980 season , starting quarterback Dan Pastorini broke his leg and was replaced by former number - one draft pick Jim Plunkett . Plunkett led Oakland to an 11 - 5 record and a wild card berth . After playoff victories against the Houston Oilers , Cleveland Browns , and San Diego Chargers , the Raiders went to Super Bowl XV , facing the heavily favored Philadelphia Eagles . the Raiders clinched their second NFL championship in five years with a 27 – 10 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XV . With the victory , the Raiders became the first ever wild card team to win a Super Bowl . " Two Super Bowl records of note occurred in this game : 1 ) Kenny King ' s 80 - yard , first - quarter , catch - and - run reception from Jim Plunkett remained the longest touchdown Super Bowl pass play for the next 23 years ; and 2 ) Rod Martin ' s three interceptions of Eagles ' quarterback Ron Jaworski still stands today as a Super Bowl record . Reflecting on the last ten years during the post - game awards ceremony , Al Davis stated " . . . this was our finest hour , this was the finest hour in the history of the Oakland Raiders . To Tom Flores , the coaches , and the athletes : you were magnificent out there , you really were . " The team would not see a repeat performance in 1981 , falling to 7 - 9 and a losing record for the first time since 1963 . Move to Los Angeles ( 1982 – 1994 ) . 1982 - 1988 . Prior to the 1980 season , Al Davis attempted unsuccessfully to have improvements made to Oakland Coliseum , specifically the addition of luxury box es . That year , he signed a Memorandum of Agreement to move the Raiders from Oakland to Los Angeles . The move , which required three - fourths approval by league owners , was defeated 22 – 0 ( with five owners abstaining ) . When Davis tried to move the team anyway , he was blocked by an injunction . In response , the Raiders not only became an active partner in an antitrust lawsuit filed by the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum ( who had recently lost the Los Angeles Rams ) , but filed an antitrust lawsuit of their own . After the first case was declared a mistrial , in May 1982 a second jury found in favor of Davis and the Los Angeles Coliseum , clearing the way for the move . With the ruling , the Raiders finally relocated to Los Angeles for the 1982 season to play their home games at the Los Angeles Coliseum . The team finished 8 – 1 in the strike - shortened 1982 season , first in the AFC , but lost in the second round of the playoffs to the New York Jets . The following season , the team finished 12 – 4 and won convincingly against the Steelers and Seattle Seahawks in the AFC playoffs . Against the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII , the Raiders built a 21 – 3 halftime lead en route to a 38 – 9 victory and their third NFL championship . The team had another successful regular season in 1984 , finishing 11 - 5 , but a three - game losing streak forced them to enter the playoffs as a wildcard , where they fell to the Seahawks . The 1985 campaign saw 12 wins and a division title , but that was followed by an embarrassing home loss to the Patriots . The Raiders ' fortunes declined after that , and from 1986 through 1989 , Los Angeles finished no better than 8 – 8 and posted consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 1961 – 62 . Also 1986 saw Al Davis get into a widely publicized argument with RB Marcus Allen , whom he accused of faking injuries . The feud continued into 1987 , and Davis retaliating by signing Bo Jackson in Allen ' s place . However , Jackson was also a left fielder for the Kansas City Royals , and could not play full - time until baseball season ended in October . Even worse , another strike cost the NFL one game and prompted them to use substitute players . The Raiders fill - ins achieved a 1 - 2 record before the regular team returned . After a weak 5 - 10 finish , Tom Flores moved to the front office and was replaced by Denver Broncos offensive assistant coach Mike Shanahan . Shanahan led the team to a 7 - 9 season in 1988 , and Allen and Jackson continued to trade places as the starting RB . Low game attendance and fan apathy were evident by this point , and In the summer of 1988 , rumors of a Raiders return to Oakland intensified when a preseason game against the Houston Oilers was scheduled at Oakland Coliseum . As early as 1986 , Davis began to seek a new , more modern stadium away from the Coliseum and the dangerous neighborhood that surrounded it at the time ( which caused the NFL to schedule the Raiders ' " Monday Night Football " appearances as away games ) . In addition to sharing the venue with the USC Trojans , the Coliseum was aging and still lacked the luxury suites and other amenities that Davis was promised when he moved the Raiders to Los Angeles . Finally , the Coliseum had 100 , 000 seats and was rarely able to fill all of them , and so most Raiders home games were blacked out on television . Numerous venues in California were considered , including one near Hollywood Park in Inglewood and another in Carson . In August 1987 , it was announced that the city of Irwindale paid Davis USD 10 million as a good - faith deposit for a prospective stadium site . When the bid failed , Davis kept the non - refundable deposit . 1989 - 1994 . Negotiations between Davis and Oakland commenced in January 1989 , and on March 11 , 1991 , Davis announced his intention to bring the Raiders back to Oakland . By September 1991 , however , numerous delays had prevented the completion of the deal between Davis and Oakland . On September 11 , Davis announced a new deal to stay in Los Angeles , leading many fans in Oakland to burn Raiders paraphernalia in disgust . After starting the 1989 season with a 1 – 3 record , Shanahan was fired by Davis , which began a long - standing feud between the two . He was replaced by former Raider offensive lineman Art Shell , who had been voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame earlier in the year . With the hiring , Shell became the first African American head coach in the modern NFL era , but the team still finished a middling 8 - 8 . In 1990 , Shell led Los Angeles to a 12 – 4 record . They beat the Bengals in the divisional round of the playoffs , but Bo Jackson had his left femur ripped from the socket after a tackle . Without him , the Raiders were crushed in the AFC Championship by the Buffalo Bills . Jackson was forced to quit football as a result , although surgery allowed him to continue playing baseball until he retired in 1994 . The team ' s fortunes faded after the loss . They made two other playoff appearances during the 1990s , and finished higher than third place only three times . The Todd Marinovich fiasco overshadowed the Raiders ' 1991 and 1992 efforts . Marinovich was groomed from childhood to play football ; his strict upbringing led to him being called " Robo QB " in the sports press . He attended USC and was the 24th overall pick in the 1991 draft . However , he struggled on field and was cut after the 1992 season due to repeated substance abuse problems . In 1991 , they got into the postseason as a wild card after a 9 - 7 regular season , but fell to Kansas City . 1992 saw them drop to 7 - 9 . This period was marked by the injury of Jackson in 1991 , the failure of troubled quarterback Todd Marinovich , the acrimonious departure of Marcus Allen in 1993 , and the retirement of Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long after the 1993 season , where the Raiders went 10 - 6 and lost to Buffalo in the divisional round of the playoffs . Shell was fired after posting a 9 – 7 record in the 1994 season . Shell ' s five - plus - year tenure as head coach in Los Angeles was marked particularly by a bitter dispute between star running back Marcus Allen and Al Davis . The exact source of the friction is unknown , but a contract dispute led Davis to refer to Allen as " a cancer on the team . " By the late 1980s , injuries began to reduce Allen ' s role in the offense . This role was reduced further in 1987 , when the Raiders drafted Bo Jackson — even though he originally decided to not play professional football in 1986 ( when drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round ) . By 1990 , Allen had dropped to fourth on the team ' s depth chart , leading to resentment on the part of his teammates . In late 1992 Allen lashed out publicly at Davis , and accused him of trying to ruin his career . In 1993 , Allen left to play for the rival Kansas City Chiefs . Back to Oakland ( 1995 – present ) . On June 23 , 1995 , Davis signed a letter of intent to move the Raiders back to Oakland . The move was approved by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors the next month , as well as by the NFL . The move was greeted with much fanfare , and under new head coach Mike White the 1995 season started off well for the team . Oakland started 8 – 2 , but injuries to starting quarterback Jeff Hostetler contributed to a six - game losing streak to end the season , and the Raiders failed to qualify for the playoffs for a second consecutive season . Gruden era . After two more unsuccessful seasons ( 7 - 9 in 1996 and 4 - 12 in 1997 ) under White and his successor , Joe Bugel , Davis selected a new head coach from outside the Raiders organization for only the second time when he hired Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Jon Gruden , who previously worked for the 49ers and Packers under head coach Mike Holmgren . Under Gruden , the Raiders posted consecutive 8 - 8 seasons in 1998 and 1999 , and climbed out of last place in the AFC West . Oakland finished 12 - 4 in the 2000 season , the team ' s most successful in a decade . Led by veteran quarterback Rich Gannon , Oakland won their first division title since 1990 , and advanced to the AFC Championship , where they lost 16 – 3 to the eventual Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens . The Raiders acquired all - time leading receiver Jerry Rice prior to the 2001 season . They finished 10 - 6 and won a second straight AFC West title but lost their divisional - round playoff game to the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots , in a controversial game that became known as " The Tuck . " The game was played in a heavy snowstorm , and late in the fourth quarter an apparent fumble by Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was recovered by Raiders linebacker Greg Biekert . The recovery would have led to a Raiders victory , however the play was reviewed and determined to be an incomplete pass ( it was ruled that Brady had pump faked and then " tucked " the ball into his body , which , by rule , cannot result in a fumble - though this explanation was not given on the field , but after the NFL season had ended ) . The Patriots retained possession of the ball , and drove for a game - tying field goal . The game went into overtime and the Patriots won , 16 – 13 . Callahan era . Shortly after the season , the Raiders made an unusual move that involved releasing Gruden from his contract and allowing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to sign him . In return , the Raiders received cash and future draft picks from the Buccaneers . The sudden move came after months of speculation in the media that Davis and Gruden had fallen out with each other both personally and professionally . Bill Callahan , who served as the team ' s offensive coordinator and offensive line coach during Gruden ' s tenure , was named head coach . Under Callahan , the Raiders finished the 2002 season 11 - 5 , won their third straight division title , and clinched the top seed in the playoffs . Rich Gannon was named MVP of the NFL after passing for a league - high 4 , 689 yards . After beating the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans by large margins in the playoffs , the Raiders made their fifth Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XXXVII . Their opponent was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , coached by Gruden . The Raiders , who had not made significant changes to Gruden ' s offensive schemes , were intercepted five times by the Buccaneers en route to a 48 – 21 blowout . Some Tampa Bay players claimed that Gruden had given them so much information on Oakland ' s offense , they knew exactly what plays were being called . Callahan ' s second season as head coach was considerably less successful . Oakland finished 4 – 12 , their worst showing since 1997 . After a late - season loss to the Denver Broncos , a visibly frustrated Callahan exclaimed , " We ' ve got to be the dumbest team in America in terms of playing the game . " At the end of the 2003 regular season Callahan was fired and replaced by former Washington Redskins head coach Norv Turner . Coaching carousel ( 2004 – present ) . The team ' s fortunes did not improve in Turner ' s first year . Oakland finished the 2004 season 5 – 11 , with only one divisional win ( a one - point victory over the Broncos in Denver ) . During a Week 3 victory against the Buccaneers , Rich Gannon suffered a neck injury that ended his season and eventually his career , he never returned to the team and retired before the 2005 season . Kerry Collins , who led the New York Giants to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXV and signed with Oakland after the 2003 season , became the team ' s starting quarterback . In an effort to bolster their offense , in early 2005 the Raiders acquired Pro Bowl wide receiver Randy Moss via trade with the Minnesota Vikings , and signed free agent running back Lamont Jordan of the New York Jets . After a 4 – 12 season and a second consecutive last place finish , Turner was fired as head coach . On February 11 , 2006 the team announced the return of Art Shell as head coach . In announcing the move , Al Davis said that firing Shell in 1995 had been a mistake . Under Shell , the Raiders lost their first five games in 2006 en route to a 2 – 14 finish , the team ' s worst record since 1962 . Oakland ' s offense struggled greatly , scoring just 168 points ( fewest in franchise history ) and allowing a league - high 72 sacks . Wide receiver Jerry Porter was benched by Shell for most of the season in what many viewed as a personal , rather than football - related , decision . The Raiders also earned the right to the first overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft for the first time since 1962 , by virtue of having the league ' s worst record . One season into his second run as head coach , Shell was fired on January 4 , 2007 . On January 22 , the team announced the hiring of 31 - year - old USC offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin , the youngest coach in franchise history and the youngest coach in the NFL . In the 2007 NFL Draft , the Raiders selected LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell with the # 1 overall pick . Kiffin coached the Raiders to a 4 - 12 record in the 2007 season . After a 1 - 3 start to 2008 and months of speculation and rumors , Al Davis fired Kiffin on September 30 , 2008 . Tom Cable was named as his interim replacement , and officially signed as the 17th head coach of the Oakland Raiders on Tuesday , Feb 3rd , 2009 . Their finish to the 2008 season would turn out to match their best since they lost the Super Bowl in the 2002 season . However , they still finished 5 – 11 and ended up 3rd in the AFC West , the first time they did not finish last since 2002 . They would produce an identical record in 2009 ; however the season was somewhat ameliorated by the fact that four of the Raiders ' five wins were against opponents with above . 500 records . At the end of their 2009 campaign , the Raiders became the first team in NFL history to lose at least 11 games in seven straight seasons . In 2010 , the Raiders had a good draft for the first time in several years and also cut Jamarcus Russell in May . Replacing him as starting QB was Jason Campbell , traded from Washington . The outlook for the team improved , but it was not apparent after they opened by suffering a 38 - 13 rout in Tennessee . Returning to Oakland , the Raiders defeated St . Louis and then lost a close 21 - 20 game in Arizona . After a home loss to Houston , they beat their division rival Chargers 35 - 27 for the first time in seven years , and then lost the " Battle of the Bay " to San Francisco . The Week 7 game in Denver set records as the Raiders crushed their division rival with eight touchdowns ( two passing , five rushing , and one interception return ) , setting a score of 59 - 14 for the most points in franchise history . After beating Seattle 33 - 3 and then Kansas City 23 - 20 for a third straight win , the Raiders went into their bye week with a winning 5 - 4 record . But after the bye week , the Raiders fell to Pittsburgh and Miami before beating San Diego and losing to the Jaguars . A home win over Denver in Week 15 saw the team approach a playoff spot , but faltered in a loss to the Colts which ensured that they would miss the postseason for the 8th straight year . By beating Kansas City in Week 17 , the Raiders gained the dubious honor of being the first team in NFL history to sweep their division and still not make the playoffs . Despite beginning to turn the team around , Tom Cable was fired by Al Davis soon after the season ended for remarking " I finally began to feel that we weren ' t losers . " Davis then promoted offensive coordinator Hue Jackson to the head coaching position in his first public appearance since November 2009 . The physically frail , but still sharp Davis explained his decision to fire Cable by saying " If . 500 isn ' t losing , then I don ' t know what losing is . " Some critics also argued that the Raiders failed to win a single game outside their own division or the weak NFC West . The Raiders ' biggest off - season moves were trading QB Bruce Gradkowski to Cincinnati and CB Nnamdi Asomugha to Philadelphia . With their new coach in place , the team opened 2011 in Denver for their first prime time appearance in three years . On a rain - slicked Monday Night , Oakland won an extremely sloppy game 23 - 20 after repeated penalties and Broncos mistakes . Kicker Sebastian Janikowski also booted a 63 - yard field goal for only the third time in NFL history . In Week 2 , the Raiders lost a wild shootout match in Buffalo 38 - 35 , beat the Jets 34 - 24 , and then lost to New England 31 - 19 for a 2 - 2 start . After flying to Houston for a match with the Texans , the Raiders were stunned by the news that Al Davis had died at his home on October 8 after having been with the franchise for all but its first three years of existence . A last - second interception from Texans QB Matt Schaub allowed the Raiders to win that game , but in the next week ' s match with Cleveland ( a 24 - 17 win ) , Jason Campbell sustained a season - ending collarbone fracture . With backups Kyle Boller and Terrell Pryor considered unsuitable to replace him , the Raiders made a desperation bid with Cincinnati to acquire QB Carson Palmer , who had retired after a feud with that team , but was still under contract with them . With Al Davis ' s passing , Hue Jackson was effectively in charge of all on - field decisions and he finally convinced Bengals owner Mike Brown to give up Palmer in exchange for all of Oakland ' s first round draft picks . The deal thus having been made , Palmer stood under center as the Raiders hosted Kansas City in Week 7 . But the team lost as Kyle Boller threw three interceptions to open the game while Palmer replaced him early in the second half . However , he also thew three interceptions , losing 28 - 0 .