Former Raiders 1st Rounder Aiming to Return to NFL

“It’s easy for me to stay in the moment because. I had to work so hard to get here. Just being able to play football again, on any level, is the best opportunity and best gift that God could have rewarded me with, with all the right decisions that I feel like I’ve been making. I didn’t want anything but a Gatorade squirt bottle and a helmet. When I talked to Coach CJ, he said that I can finally come back. I was like, ‘Man, I just want a Gatorade bottle. I haven’t used a Gatorade Squirt bottle in a long time," Arnette said.

“It’s just the little things about the game that you miss the most, that you take for granted. So, it’s easy for me to stay in the moment. That’s all I’m thinking about right now, is this game and then the game after that, and the game after that. I want to win this whole thing for Coach CJ because I just feel like I’m a part of this family right now, and this is the only thing that matters to me.”

Brett Maxie, Arnette's position coach with the Roughnecks, believes he's setting himself up for an opportunity this offseason. He is a far cry from where he could have been if not for the off-the-field issues with the Raiders, but he has made progress in his personal life, which matters most.

“Right now, I’m seeing what I anticipated. When I knew he was going to be a part of our team, he’s a former first-round draftee, and that’s what a former first-round draft pick is. They make plays very confidently. And he’s an unbelievably talented athlete. He’s doing all the right things to put himself in position to get back to the NFL. And he belongs there. He really belongs there. He’s one of the first guys in the building because I’m like the first guy in the building, he’s the first player I see every morning," Maxie said.

"I see great things happening for him after this season. I’m certainly pulling for him in every direction that I possibly can. He’s been first-class. He’s gonna earn it. And I think he’s going to appreciate it more now than he did four years ago after he was drafted. We all have our seasons in our lives. He’s going to benefit from the things he’s learning now. He’s been around good people. Not very many people get a second chance. And he’s doing it at the right age where he’s still athletically gifted and plays the position at a very, very high level."

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