The Las Vegas Raiders are in the middle of yet another questionable off-season. The team has had just one winning season since 2017, and this year they traded for Geno Smith. It will be interesting to see if their team can rally behind their 34-year-old quarterback.
However, there will be extra motivation this year for the entire organization.
Breaking: Raiders Super Bowl Legend Passes Away Unexpectedly (Report)
A 74-year-old veteran of the NFL, who helped the Oakland Raiders win their first Super Bowl championship in 1976, has died:
On Wednesday, the Las Vegas Raiders announced in a statement that John Vella passed away. No cause of death was immediately announced:
“The Raiders Family mourns the passing of John Vella, a standout on the dominant Raider offensive lines of the 1970s and a starter on Oakland’s Super Bowl XI Championship team. Vella originally joined the Raiders as a second-round draft selection in 1972 out of USC, where he earned consensus All-American honors as a tackle in 1971. A versatile performer and a ferocious competitor, Vella played both guard and tackle, seeing action in 84 games with 48 starts in eight seasons with the Silver and Black. He finished his career with Minnesota in 1980. The prayers of the entire Raider Nation are with the Vella family at this time.”
A standout offensive lineman for the USC Trojans program, Vella was drafted in the second round (43rd overall) by the Raiders in 1972. Vella was coached by the legendary John Madden, who quickly turned the Raiders into one of the NFL’s model organizations with Al Davis in the ’70s.
Fans were devastated to hear the news:
He is such a nice guy. He owned a sports store in Dublin, CA. I was in there one time, and he let me try on his Super Bowl ring.
— mario (@LAguy64) April 2, 2025
Raider Nation Salute
— Don Bourg Jr (@bourg_don) April 2, 2025
Rest in peace:(
— Daniel Levin (@daniellevin118) April 2, 2025
🙏
— ThePhenomenalAV (@ThePhenomenalAV) April 2, 2025
