It seems at times the Raiders don’t know what they want from safety Karl Joseph.
But to Joseph, Oakland’s first-round pick in 2016, his mission is clear: to be one of the best to ever play professional football.
A first-round pick in 2016, Joseph sat the bench to begin last season but ended the campaign as Oakland’s highest-rated defender. He’s received praise from coach Jon Gruden, but he was — and still is — the subject of trade rumors.
What’s more, the Raiders didn’t pick up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract. He’ll be a free agent in 2020, though Joseph started alongside rookie safety Johnathan Abram during organized team activities.
It’s enough to confuse just about anyone.
But Joseph is focussed on football immortality. He said as much to The Orlando Sentinel’s Chris Hays.
“When it’s all said and done, I want to be one of the best to ever play this game,” Joseph said. “That’s my mindset. So it’s all about longevity and doing all of the little things … Don’t get too high or too low and just work hard.”
It’s unclear what is stopping Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock from fully embracing Joseph. It could be his lack of elite size. He’s 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds, though that isn’t far from Abram’s 6 foot, 205-pound frame. Joesph was billed as a hard-hitting safety out of West Virginia, however.
It could simply be that Joseph was a choice of the previous general manager, Reggie McKenzie. Whatever the case may be, it’s certain that Joesph will have further opportunity to prove himself in the NFL with the Raiders or another team.
The one thing that is clear in regards to Joesph: he’s kept confidence in himself, even as his team has given him reasons to become discouraged, and he’s set his sights on greatness. If the Raiders are testing his will, Joseph seems well prepared.
