Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Kana'i Mauga. Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Young linebacker gets new chance with the Raiders in 2024

Originally posted on Gridiron Heroics
By Christian Alamodin | Last updated 3/15/24

Every member of the Las Vegas Raiders roster is important in transforming the team into a Super Bowl contender. While only 11 players can play on the field at the time, even the players at the edge of the team’s depth chart are important in helping the squad win games against their opponents in the AFC.

While there is plenty of uncertainty surrounding the futures of such players, those who come in to work every single day are usually rewarded with opportunities to show what they got.

This is what happened to Kana'i Mauga as he gets fresh terms to play for the Raiders.

The USC alum only played five games last season, which was his first active season after being in the league since 2022.

Sports Illustrated’s Aidan Champion wrote about Mauga’s interesting journey so far:

"Las Vegas signed Mauga to a reserve/future contract in January 2023. The team waived him on August 1 but brought him back later that month. Again, the Raiders waived Mauga, this time as part of the 53-man roster cuts, before signing him to the practice squad the next day.

"Las Vegas elevated Mauga to the active roster a month later. He played in four straight games before being placed on injured reserve with a knee injury, which kept him out for the next five games.

"Mauga returned to play just four special teams snaps in the Raiders’ 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Vikings but left the game with a knee injury. He would miss the remainder of the Raiders’ season."

Mauga may not be the most outstanding player to suit up for the Raiders, but the fact that he got opportunities to play for the team speaks plenty about his quality and attitude.

Plenty of players have shown that their status doesn’t matter as long as they play the right way, with Brock Purdy being the trendiest example. If Mauga keeps his head down and continuously works on his craft, there’s no reason why he wouldn’t be getting more opportunities to play under Antonio Pierce.

This article first appeared on Gridiron Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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