The 2020 season will be full of changes for the Las Vegas Raiders as not only do they have a roster full of new players, but they will be beginning a new era at Allegiant Stadium after completing their move from Oakland.
In addition to roster changes, it appears the Raiders have made some other organization changes as well.
According to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN, Former NFL MVP Randall Cunningham has joined the Raiders as the team’s chaplain. Cunningham has a relationship with Jon Gruden dating back to their days together with the Philadelphia Eagles, and the former UNLV quarterback now makes his permanent residence in Las Vegas after establishing his own church, Remnant Ministries, as its pastor.
That made the fit between the Raiders and Cunningham perfect, and he is excited for the opportunity to work with the players:
“I’m elated, flabbergasted,” Cunningham told ESPN on Friday. “I’ve already been in on some [Zoom] meetings with the team. I plan on spending a lot of time with the guys when it’s OK. I’ve talked with Marcus Mariota, Nelson Agholor. What an amazing group of people Mark Davis and Jon Gruden have put together.”
While he is excited, Cunningham also understands that the job comes with some responsibility:
“Gruden asked me to be the team chaplain,” Cunningham said. “I have a responsibility to look after these guys in this town. And I accept that responsibility.”
Cunningham replaces former Raiders running back Napoleon Kaufman, who is the coach of the Oakland Bishop O’Dowd High School football team.
Raiders owner Mark Davis also commented on the hire and believes it is a perfect fit:
“He’s going to take care of the guys in Las Vegas,” Raiders owner Mark Davis told ESPN.com. “Jon had him address the team in a team Zoom [recently] and he did a really good job of setting the stage for the team in Las Vegas.
“When you talk to anyone in the community, everybody always talks about Randall. It’s pretty special.”
While Cunnigham will be able to help Raiders players off the field, a big focus in 2020 will be on the field as the organization looks to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2016. With some big offseason additions, expectations are high that Gruden will be able to leave the Silver and Black back to glory.
