We continue our list of the bottom 5 Oakland Raiders free-agent signings in franchise history with cornerback Larry Brown checking in at No. 2…
Brown, a 12th-round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 1991, benefited mightily on the field from the Cowboys signing Deion Sanders in 1995 to take away the other side of the field. Brown would benefit in his wallet a year later.
With Sanders in Dallas, Brown responded with a career-best six interceptions, including two that he returned for touchdowns. And then when Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Neil O’Donnell threw a pair of passes into his bread basket in Super Bowl XXX, Brown walked away with the game’s MVP award.
Brown then became a wealthy man, courtesy of the Raiders. And while it’s easy to say Al Davis was simply blinded by Brown’s hardware in giving him a five-year, $12-million contract with $3.5 million guaranteed, Brown did have a total of 10 interceptions the previous two years. And Davis loved his press corners with a man-to-man mindset. It’s how, Davis believed, you build a team.
Thing was, Brown was not the prototypical shutdown corner. Far from it. And it showed. Immediately.
Brown did not live up to the contract, or any other expectations.
In two seasons with the Raiders, he played in just 12 games and started one -- ONE! -- getting one interception, before he was sent packing. Brown resurfaced in Dallas in 1998 and played in four games for the Cowboys before calling it a career.
Previous lists
Top 5 free-agent signings
Bottom 5 free-agent signings
2. Larry Brown
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