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Charles Woodson Assigns Blame for Why He Left Raiders
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- Charles Woodson Assigns Blame for Why He Left Raiders
(Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)
Charles Woodson Assigns Blame for Why He Left Raiders originally appeared on Athlon Sports .
The 2000s haven't been kind to the Raiders franchise, but one player who was a bright spot was Charles Woodson . The former first-round pick spent his first eight years with the team and was a First-Team All-Pro twice.
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However, the Raiders decided against bringing him back in 2006. He went on to the Green Bay Packers and won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2009 and a Super Bowl.
Despite that success in Green Bay , if it were up to him, Woodson would've never left Oakland.
Woodson Places Blame for Why He Left Raiders
Leaving the Raiders may have been the best thing to happen to Woodson's career and legacy, but he was hoping to spend his career with one team. He was recently a guest on the " Da Get Got Pod with Marshawn Lynch & Mike Robinson," where he revealed who was to blame for him not coming back.
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"I never thought I'd leave Oakland. ... If I remember correctly, Mike Lombardi was the GM and he was like, 'There is no value to bringing Charles back to the Raiders,' I was like 'damn, that's some cold blooded (expletive) to say,'" Woodson said. ... "I wish I would've gone directly and say with Al (Davis)."
Lombardi Was Fired the Following Year
Lombardi is well-known by NFL fans now as a media personality, but he had a long career as an executive. He spent nine seasons with the Raiders as a senior personnel executive and was essentially the general manager for much of that time.
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Though he was the driving force behind the Raiders not bringing Woodson back, he didn't have much time with the team following the move. After the 2006 season ended, Lombardi was fired by the team.
Woodson eventually came back and was able to retire a Raider.
Related: Ex-Raiders Pro Bowl RB, 1,000-Yard Rusher Retires From NFL
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
