All-Time Raiders QBs Ranked: Plunkett #1, Stabler #2

Daryle Lamonica

#12 · Las Vegas Raiders
Retired 12 Years In The NFL
🏆 3× AFL champion (1964, 1965, 1967)
Daryle's
HAIR
40.1
HeyTC AI Rating

Questions about Daryle Lamonica or the Raiders?

Daryle Lamonica Legacy

HEYTC AI
Daryle Lamonica, the Mad Bomber from Fresno via Notre Dame, was AFL football's ultimate gunslinger—a backup in Buffalo who exploded with the Raiders, bombing deep balls to terrorize defenses and win 75% of his starts. Traded in '67, he torched Houston for three scores in the AFL title game, dragged Oakland to Super Bowl II, then repeated as MVP in '69 with a six-TD half against Buffalo that etched his legend. HeyTC ranks him No. 43 all-time for that cannon arm and killer instinct under Madden. Lamonica passed in 2022, leaving a Raider legacy that still booms.
Daryle Lamonica passed away on April 21, 2022 at the age of 80.

Daryle Lamonica Rating Breakdown

Season
Elite
Fantasy
Good
Playoffs
Average
Overall
Slaps
8 years with the Raiders

Daryle Lamonica Career Stats via Wikipedia

19,154 Pass Yards
164 Touchdowns
138 INTs
49.5% Comp %
40.1 HAIR
66-16 Record

Frequently Asked Questions About Daryle Lamonica

How does Geno Smith compare to Daryle Lamonica?

Geno Smith might be the Raiders' current starter, but Daryle Lamonica's the real deal—went 66-16-4 as a starter (.791 win rate, second only to Otto Graham) with four straight division titles and that 1967 AFL crown before Super Bowl II. Geno's got modern stats, sure, but Lamonica's Mad Bomber arm in John Madden's wild Oakland attack built a legacy Geno can only dream of matching.

Is Daryle Lamonica in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Nope, Daryle Lamonica's not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame—no Canton bronze for the Mad Bomber. Despite two AFL MVPs, five Pro Bowls, 164 TDs, and dragging the Raiders to their first title with gunslinger grit, the Hall snubbed him. Raiders fans still toast his Heidi Game heroics like it was yesterday.

How would Daryle Lamonica perform in today's NFL?

Lamonica would feast in today's pass-happy NFL—modern rules ban those bone-crushing hits like Bubba Smith's that sidelined him, and his cannon (49.5% completions but 164 TDs, 249 yards/game peak) fits the air raid era. Imagine him bombing to Fred Biletnikoff without 138 picks from zero protection; he'd post 4,000-yard seasons easy.

How does Daryle Lamonica compare to Jim Plunkett?

Lamonica's 40.11 passer rating pales next to Jim Plunkett's 55.6, but don't sleep—the Bomber lit up the AFL with 148 Raiders TDs and that '67 title run, while Plunkett's two Super Bowl rings came clutch amid chaos. Both Raiders icons, yet Lamonica's four division crowns feel like the purer rocket ride.