Photo by Tony Gonzales
The Oakland Raiders signed eight-year NFL veteran OL Kevin Boothe. The versatile offensive lineman was selected by the Raiders in the 6th round of the 2006 NFL Draft out of Cornell. In 2007, he was picked up by the New York Giants and proceeded to win two Super Bowl championships. He returns to the Raiders with experience, a winning mentality, and the desire to bring the Raiders back to prominence.
In his seven seasons with the Giants, Boothe played in 89 games, starting 48, and has added nine postseason games with four starts. The veteran is dependable, playing left and right guard, right tackle and center during his time in New York. "I've played multiple positions throughout my time with the Giants and that's one of the things I always do is prepare for anything, prepare for multiple positions, be ready because you never know what might happen over a course of a game or a season," said Boothe.
His versatility is a perk following a season in which the Raiders dealt with a multitude of offensive line injuries. "I met with Coach [Tony] Sparano and we talked about how they really like the fact that I have been able to play multiple positions if need be, so I am sure that that will continue here with the flexibility just in case something were to happen," said Boothe. "There's been no talk about specifically what position I'll play."
Boothe is content anywhere on the offensive line. "It doesn't matter where, but I think any football player wants to be on the field, so all I could do is go out there and work as hard as I can and hope that I can get out there to help the team win," he said.
Boothe joins former Giants teammate Justin Tuck as one of the new additions to the Raiders roster. "Justin Tuck has been texting me all day wondering. I had to give him a play-by-play each moment. As we were walking in here, I finally let him know that I signed, so he's excited about it," said Boothe. "Our sons are best friends, so three years old and his son just turned four, so they'll probably be the most happy out of this whole deal."
The offensive lineman is just as excited as Tuck, and almost as excited as his son, to be reuniting with the Raiders. "Very excited to be back," said Boothe. "It's been a crazy couple of days and I'm just excited about this opportunity."
The 6-5, 320-pound lineman is looking forward to his return to Oakland. "[We] really hit it off here. I like the direction of the team," said Boothe. "They've put some pieces together here and it's a great culture that they're building over here, and I am excited to be a part of it. The fact that I have been here before, obviously, this place has always held a special place in my heart as the team that drafted me."
