From the start, Donald Penn was transparent – he wanted to remain an Oakland Raider – and Thursday afternoon he got his wish as he officially inked a new deal with the Silver and Black.
"I do want to retire a Raider," Penn told Bruce Murray and Kirk Morrison on SiriusXM NFL Radio. "My goal is to play two more years. I'm about to give it my all these last two years, and then I'm praying that I come out with a championship or two, and the way we're moving, the way we're going, it sounds like we're going to do that."
He continued, "It's like a dream come true. I grew up a Raiders fan, and I'm going to retire a Raider."
The veteran lineman spent the past two seasons with the Raiders – starting all 32 games in the process—and admitted that at times he did grow frustrated with the pace of the negotiations, dealing with some anxious moments before signing the contract.
"It was very tough," Penn said via conference call Thursday. "It's a part of this that you hate. It's the business side of it. It's a part that a lot of players hate – a lot of coaches hate it too; they have to go through it too. I know all the coaches wanted me back. It was tough, but I'm very blessed, and I'm happy it's all over, said and done, and now I'm ready to look forward to winning."
As Penn said, the business part of the game is behind him, and now he can get to work focusing on protecting Derek Carr and capitalizing on the positive momentum surrounding the team.
"I feel like the sky's the limit, man, but one thing we have to do, we can't talk about it," Penn said. "We have to go out there and put in work, and do it and show the world that we're really about it, but I think we have the guys for it. We can be one of the best o-lines in the league and lead this team."
With the return of Penn to the starting lineup, the Raiders do indeed boast an incredibly formidable line – the average lineman is 6'4" and tips the scales at 325 pounds – and the veteran left tackle thinks that the unit has the chance to be one of the best in the league, particularly with the addition of Kelechi Osemele in free agency.
"I think he [Osemele] fits right in, he fits right in," Penn explained. "I think he fits the mold that [Offensive Line] Coach [Mike] Tice teaches us. I think he brings the nastiness that we already bring as an offensive line. I think he's going to fit in very well. He's that impact player, man."
He continued, "He's such a good player that he's going to help no matter where he is and he's going to help immediately and it's going to be great.
Penn has been straightforward since he arrived in Oakland two years ago – while it was a dream come true to put on the Silver and Black, he was coming back for a purpose, and now he'll get the chance to spend the next two seasons finishing what he started.
"We got things rolling right now and we're on the up and up, and I'm glad I'm going to be able to be a part of it," Penn said. "We're building something real nice right now and everything's going the right way right now."
