The Raiders spent the offseason reshaping the roster almost everywhere, and that kind of overhaul usually tightens the room for any more big decisions before the deadline. But with the trade window closing on Nov. 10, one name that could still pop up in conversations - even if it would catch plenty of people off guard - is Jackson Powers-Johnson.
Las Vegas has already put real resources into this team under first-year head coach Klint Kubiak, with John Spytek and the front office making major moves across nearly every position group. The only spots untouched in terms of additions were tight end and punter, where the Raiders already have two of the league’s best players.
That kind of offseason spending does not mean the rebuild is finished. It means the margin for another move is thin.
That’s why dealing away a player now would be such a delicate call. Any trade could undercut what Kubiak and his staff are trying to build.
Even so, the Raiders are 3-3, teams are going to keep calling, and Spytek has made it clear before that he’s willing to listen to trade ideas of all sizes. Las Vegas also made a deal in his first season at the helm, sending out an often-injured player in exchange for a contributor.
There’s no shortage of reasons the front office might at least entertain the idea. The Raiders have lost three straight, and two of those defeats - against the Chiefs and Bills - came by a combined six points.
Those games suggested Las Vegas is close to hanging with the league’s best. The Patriots loss, though, showed how far there still is to go.
Put together, the results make a trade conversation understandable.
Kubiak’s own words this week made the mindset pretty clear. “It's such a competitive game, and if you're just hoping to keep it close in the fourth quarter, that's not a winning mindset. So, just having the mindset when you have an opportunity to make a play, when you're playing complementary football on one side of the ball, special teams gives you good field position, you got to go score on that drive,” he said.
“Defense gets a turnover; you got to go score on that drive. If there's a sudden change defensively, then we got to get a stop.
So, just having the ultimate competitor's mindset of not being okay with having the game be close in the fourth quarter. That's not what we're here to do.”
Kolton Miller is technically a player who could be traded, but his contract setup for this season and next takes him off the board. Powers-Johnson, on the other hand, is the more realistic name to watch.
There have been offseason whispers, and Caleb Rogers started over him in Week 6, which only adds to the chatter. Still, moving him before the deadline would be the bigger surprise because of the timing more than the fit.
He hasn’t arrived at the level the Raiders want yet, but the idea here is simple: the team may already have enough depth at guard to justify moving him if the right offer comes along. Powers-Johnson is a valuable piece, and a backup guard of his caliber is not something every team can say it has. The longer-term answer may be to keep developing him, then look for a high-end veteran guard and another serviceable option after the season.
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