Another Outstanding Raider TE, that Shouldn't be Forgotten

The Las Vegas Raiders have a lineage of top tight ends, and Zach Miller is often overlooked, and shouldn't be.

Raider Maven has chronicled the history of great tight ends for the Oakland-Los Angeles-Las Vegas, starting with Billy Cannon, a former Heisman Trophy-winning running back who helped alter the description of his new position when Al Davis, the new coach, and general manager, brought him to Oakland in 1963.

Among the other outstanding tight ends to play for the Raiders after Cannon were Raymond Chester, Bob Moore, Hall of Famer Dave Casper, Todd Christensen, Rickey Dudley, Ethan Horton, and current developing star Darren Waller.

And what about Zach Miller, had he remained with the Raiders after playing only four years with the Silver and Black from 2007-10 before signing with the Seattle Seahawks as a free agent, as many in the Raiders organization claimed it was a big mistake to let Miller getaway?

The 6-5, 255-pound Miller was drafted by the Raiders in the second round (No. 38 overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft out of Arizona State, where he was the Pacific 12 Conference Freshman of the Year and in 2016 was an All-Pac 12 selection and consensus All-American after making 144 receptions for 1,512 yards and 14 touchdowns in his career.

Miller also was a finalist for the John Mackey Award as the best tight end in the nation as a senior and was projected to be a first-round draft choice before he had a disappointing performance at the NFL Combine.

That turned out to be a break for the Raiders when they selected him in the second round and he stepped in as a starter as a rookie, catching 44 passes for 444 yards and three touchdowns right out of the gate, and was named to the Pro Football NFL All-Rookie team in addition to playing in the Pro Bowl.

Miller led the Raiders in receiving in 2008, 2009, and 2010, totaling 60 receptions for 685 yards and a career-high five touchdowns during the 2010 campaign when he again was selected to play in the Pro Bowl.

In his four seasons with the Raiders, Miller caught 226 passes for 2,712 passes for 12 touchdowns and ranks fifth in all-time receptions in franchise history among tight ends behind Christensen, Casper, Waller, and Chester.

But that was it with the Raiders.

“That was a big mistake to let him get away,” one Raiders executive said anonymously. “He was only getting better and was one of the best right ends in the league, maybe the best.”

Said Miller: “By no means was this easy. I was drafted by the Raiders, brought in by (Raiders Managing General Partner) Al Davis, who was instrumental in the early part of my career. I was hoping for an extension (with the Raiders), but it didn’t happen. That’s business.”

Miller signed a five-year, $34 million deal with Seattle, $17 million of which was guaranteed, but spent his first season with the Seahawks under Coach Pete as mostly a blocking tight end and short-yardage receiver, catching 25 passes for 233 yards and no touchdowns.

In four seasons with the Seahawks, Miller caught 102 passes for 1,092 yards and eight touchdowns in an offense that wasn’t nearly as wide-open as he played with the Raiders.

Miller earned a Super Bowl ring when the Seahawks routed the Denver Broncos, 43-8, in SB XLVIII at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., to cap the 2013 season. He caught one pass for 10 yards from quarterback Russell Wilson in the game.

In 2015, Miller underwent ankle surgery for an injury he sustained the season before, and when he was unable to regain his form, he retired at the age of 29.

Raider Nation can only imagine what Miller might have done had he remained with the Silver and Black.

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