Former Las Vegas Raiders in Super Bowl 60: Drake Thomas is balling

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 3: Drake Thomas #42 of the Seattle Seahawks intercepts a pass intended for Christian McCaffrey #23 of the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game at Levi's Stadium on January 03, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Seattle Seahawks, who will play the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60 on Sunday, have one former Las Vegas Raiders player on their roster.

And he's making a huge impact.

Technically, Drake Mayer is not a former Raider. He never played for the team in the regular season. However, he was a highly-regarded undrafted rookie linebacker in 2023.

The North Carolina State product had a strong preseason for the Raiders, but was waived on the cut-down date by coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler. The Seahawks claimed Thomas and he has become a pivotal part of a strong defense.

Thomas' career took off in 2025. He played in seven games as a rookie and 17 games in 2024 with no starts. This season, though, he started 14 games and become a key cog to the defense.

The Raiders. of course, have had trouble developing young linebackers over the past several years. So, while it's anew regime, the Raiders have to think what could have been had McDaniels and Ziegler found a way to keep him on the 53-man roster as a rookie.