New England Patriots Haynes was selected in the first round in the
1976 NFL draft by the
New England Patriots. He enjoyed a sensational
rookie year with the Patriots with eight
interceptions, three fumble recoveries, and an
AFC-leading 608 yards on 45
punt returns. That year, Haynes gave the Patriots their first-ever
touchdowns on punt returns with 89-yard and 62-yard returns. He earned a
Pro Bowl invitation as a rookie, the first of nine Pro Bowl bids. He also won
NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. The 1976 Patriots had an 11–3 record and clinched a playoff berth for the first time in 13 years, losing to Oakland in the first round. In 1978, Haynes recorded 6 interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown against the Baltimore Colts. The Patriots won their division but lost to Houston in the playoffs. Haynes recorded 28 interceptions and 1,159 yards on 111 returns, a 10.4-yard average during his seven years with the Patriots. He started his career with 58 consecutive
starts before being sidelined with a rib injury late in 1979. Haynes was inducted into the
Patriots Hall of Fame in 1994, and his number 40 was retired as well. He was named to the Patriots' All-1970s Team, the 35th Anniversary Team named in 1994, as well as the 50th Anniversary Team named in 2009. He makes sporadic appearances involving the team to this day.
Los Angeles Raiders Haynes played out his option with the Patriots in 1982, and in November 1983, his contract was awarded to the Los Angeles Raiders in a settlement that gave the Patriots a No. 1 draft choice in
1984 and a No. 2 pick in
1985. After playing the last five regular season games, he started in the Raiders'
Super Bowl XVIII victory, notching one interception, two pass breakups and one tackle. His partner in the Raiders' secondary was
Lester Hayes, and the tandem was quickly recognized as one of the best cornerback duos in league history.
Washington Redskins general manager
Bobby Beathard later said that Haynes tipped the balance heavily in the Raiders' favor. The Raiders and Redskins had played in the regular season when Haynes was still a Patriot, and his addition gave the Raiders the luxury of having two shutdown corners. In seven seasons with the Raiders, Haynes returned only one punt but he added 18 interceptions to give him a career total of 46 which were returned for 688 yards and two touchdowns, including a team-record 97-yard return against
Miami in 1984. Haynes finished that season with a league-leading 220 interception return yards. He also had 12 career fumble recoveries. Haynes was an
All-Pro choice in 1977, 1978, 1982, 1984 and 1985 and an All-AFC pick eight times. On special teams, he totaled 112 punt returns for 1,168 yards and two scores. In 1997, he was elected to the
Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 1999, he was ranked number 93 on
The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. He is ranked number 49 on the
NFL Network Top 100 Greatest Players. ==Personal life==