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Former Raiders Starter Announces Retirement From NFL

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Levi Dombro | Last updated Feb 20, 2025 11:48 AM ET

The Oakland Raiders had the best offensive line in the league for several years in the mid-2010s when Jack Del Rio was the team's head coach and Reggie McKenzie was the general manager. With an inexperienced Derek Carr under center, the unit was affectionately nicknamed, "Carr Insurance" as they helped the young quarterback navigate his early years in the league.

It's been nearly a decade, however, since those days at the Oakland Coliseum and almost every one of those linemen had hung up their cleats and entered retirement before the 2024 NFL season. The only member from the "Carr Insurance" days on an NFL roster last season was guard Jon Feliciano, but he also announced his retirement on X on Thursday morning.

Feliciano was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft and played in 48 games, starting eight, over his four-year tenure with the team. In his retirement post, he thanked several of his former Raiders teammates.

"Again lost, and across the country, I needed a new North Star. That man was (former Raiders center) Rodney Hudson," wrote Feliciano. "While Rodney taught me football, (former Raiders tight end) Lee Smith taught me how to be a man. Lee, I love you, brotha."

The Florida native and former Miami Hurricane enjoyed a 9-year NFL career in which he played with four different franchises but his longest stint was with the team that drafted him: the Oakland Raiders. Feliciano's retirement provides Raider Nation with a harrowing reminder that the last of the Oakland Raiders are nearing the end of their careers.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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