Donald Penn signs 1-day contract, retires with Raiders

Donald Penn wanted to end his NFL career as a starter.

He gladly ended it as a Raider instead.

Penn signed a one-day contract Monday with the Raiders and retired as a member of the franchise. The 37-year-old played 13 seasons in the NFL, including five with the Raiders from 2014 to 2018. He last played in the NFL in 2019, starting 15 games for the Washington Football Team.

He’d said he’d hoped to play in 2020 and had some interest from NFL teams: “a lot of calls, backup spots, partials.” He wanted, though, to start and decided in December that he was ready to call it quits.

The Raiders, he said, were his favorite NFL team when he was growing up in Los Angeles.

“I was able to play for a team I grew up with. It’s kind of like a dream come true,” Penn said Monday during an impromptu news conference. “I appreciate them letting me do this. It just felt right.”

Penn played college football at Utah State, but was not drafted in 2006. He debuted in 2007 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under current Raiders coach Jon Gruden and started 108 games for the team from 2007 to 2013, earning Pro Bowl honors in 2010.

He signed as a free agent with the Raiders in 2014 and helped the franchise make the playoffs in 2016. They beat the Chargers that season in Week 15 to clinch their playoff berth, and Penn cited the victory as his greatest memory with the team.

“I accomplished what I wanted and we brought the Raiders back on top,” Penn said. “I feel like the Raiders are right here, still rolling.”

Penn was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2016 and 2017, and started 66 games for the Raiders during his tenure with the club. He was cut in March of 2019 and concluded his career in Washington. He never played in Las Vegas, but seemed to be impressed with the setup the Raiders have in the city.

“This facility is awesome. … I think it’s a great recruiting tool,” said Penn, who started 189 games in his career. “I think it’s long overdue. I’m finally glad they got it. … I hope I get a chance to see the stadium. I love the way stuff looks. It’s amazing. Free agents are going to be flocking here because the Raiders are really up and coming here.”

Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.