Raiders to hire former NFL MVP Randall Cunningham as team chaplain

July 10 (UPI) -- The Las Vegas Raiders are hiring College Football Hall of Fame quarterback and former NFL MVP Randall Cunningham as the team's chaplain.

"I'm elated, flabbergasted," Cunningham told ESPN on Friday. "I've already been in on some [Zoom] meetings with the team. I plan on spending a lot of time with the guys when it's OK. I've talked with Marcus Mariota, Nelson Agholor. What an amazing group of people [Raiders owner] Mark Davis and [head coach] Jon Gruden have put together.

"... Gruden asked me to be the team chaplain. I have a responsibility to look after these guys in this town. And I accept that responsibility."

Cunningham, 57, played college football at UNLV from 1982-84 and was a two-time All-American before the Philadelphia Eagles selected him in the second round of the 1985 NFL Draft. The four-time Pro Bowl selection and four-time All-Pro choice was named league MVP in 1990 by the Pro Football Writers Association.

Cunningham spent the final years of his NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings (1997-99), Dallas Cowboys (2000) and Baltimore Ravens (2001).

Cunningham, who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2016, currently resides in Las Vegas and established his own church -- Remnant Ministries -- as its pastor.

"He's going to take care of the guys in Las Vegas," Raiders owner Mark Davis said. "Jon had him address the team in a team Zoom [recently] and he did a really good job of setting the stage for the team in Las Vegas. When you talk to anyone in the community, everybody always talks about Randall. It's pretty special."

Cunningham will replace former Raiders running back Napoleon Kaufman in the role.