Oakland Raiders' Top 10 All-Time Players | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Isabella Floyd
Published Mar 23, 2026
I don't care about the feud he had with Davis or the fact that he finished his career with the Chiefs. Marcus Allen was the most complete and best Raider football player of all time.
I could make a case for him being the most complete and best NFL football player of all time. Many speak of Marshall Faulk being that guy, as he broke Allen's record for total yards from scrimmage.
Many give LaDainian Tomlinson that distinction as he did damage as a runner, blocker, (blitz pick up) receiver and an occasional passer. Faulk could hold his own as a runner and receiver, but didn't block or throw the way Allen did.
Tomlinson could hold his own running but wasn't a route runner you could split out wide like Allen and Faulk. Allen was also a better passer as Todd Christiensen said. "He could throw the ball better than our quarterbacks."
My case and point there is that Tomlinson floated out 15- to 20-yard passes for touchdowns. I saw Allen, a high school quarterback, throw the ball 60 yards in the air for a touchdown pass to Christensen).
And as a blocker, it wasn't close.
While Faulk and Tomlinson did a good job picking up the blitz, Allen knocked out defensive linemen. Bob Golic was a victim who I saw Allen knock out of the game for a while when he was a Cleveland Brown.
Could you see any of the other two guys line up at fullback to block for Bo Jackson?
Allen is the Raiders' all-time leading rusher and No. 5 in receiving.
His most memorable play was the most memorable play in Raider history. He started one way, reversed his field and raced the rest of the way for a 74-yard touchdown to lead the 1983 Raiders to victory over the Washington Redskins in the Super Bowl.
He was the running back I was speaking of that rushed for 466 yards and an 8.0 yard per carry average in the playoffs to help Plunkett to his second Super Bowl victory.
The most impressive thing is how he is the only Raider to pull off the hat trick, winning the NFL's Rookie of the Year, MVP and Super Bowl MVP.
Allen has two All-Pro and five Pro Bowl selections to go on his resume. Allen is also No. 12 all time in the NFL in rushing and No. 3 in touchdowns despite being benched for five years.
What other running back is a team player enough to move to fullback after pulling off the aforementioned hat trick?
Allen did whatever he had to do to help the Raiders win, which is what "comittment to excellence" is all about.
That makes Allen the ultimate Raider.