2003 Oakland Raiders Finished 4-12 Year After Making Super Bowl

Published on February 10th, 2025 4:40 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


The 2002 Oakland Raiders, coached by Bill Callahan, lost in the Super Bowl to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a score of 48-21.

The very next season the Raiders finished with a record of 4-12-0.

The 2002 Oakland Raiders were a VERY old team that put everything together for one magical year.

Rich Gannon, who was 37 years old, won the MVP award in 2022, throwing for 4,689 yards and 26 touchdowns.

Jerry Rice, who was 40 years of age, caught 92 passes for 1,211 yards.

Tim Brown, who was 36 years old, caught 81 passes for 930 yards.

The starting running back for the team that season was Charlie Garner, who was 30 years of age. Garner rushed for 962 yards and caught 91 passes for 941 yards.

Rod Woodson, who was a First-Team All-Pro member, was 37 years of age. Lincoln Kennedy, who was also a First-Team All-Pro, was 31 years of age.

Everything came together for the Raiders' 2002 season, and in 2003, everything fell apart.

Rich Gannon got off to a slow start in 2003 and eventually hurt his shoulder, missing the remainder of the season.

Jerry Rice suffered a big decline, catching just 63 passes on 124 targets.

Charlie Garner caught just 448 passes for 386 yards.

Tim Brown caught just 52 passes for 567 yards.

The Raiders finished the season with a miserable record of 4-12-0, and that would be it for the nucleus.

Rich Gannon would play just three more games before retiring.

Jerry Rice would move to the Seattle Seahawks in the middle of the 2004 season before retiring.

Tim Brown would sign with Tampa Bay before retiring at the end of the 2004 season.

-

Given the ages of the star players for the 2002 Oakland Raiders, the fact that they fell off so quickly can't really be considered a surprise.