Training camp is about to put the Las Vegas Raiders under the microscope, and that’s exactly when trade chatter can start to heat up. With John Spytek and Klint Kubiak still shaping the roster in their own image, the Raiders could use the last stretch of the offseason to keep building for the future - and maybe add more draft capital in the process.
Spytek, in particular, has a path to be active if the right deal comes along. The idea is simple: if a player flashes in camp, or if another team gets desperate for help, Las Vegas could turn that into a move. Here are three names that could be on the table.
At right guard, Jackson Powers-Johnson enters camp as the starter, but the spot is not locked down. The former second-round pick is heading into a critical third season and has a chance to show he can be a force up front.
Still, Caleb Rogers is waiting in the wings. The former third-round pick could push hard enough to make this a real battle, and if Powers-Johnson slips, a team in need of guard help could come calling.
Aidan O'Connell is another player who could draw interest. He is not expected to start for Las Vegas unless things go badly for both Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza.
O'Connell, a former fourth-round pick out of Purdue, has started 17 games over three seasons and thrown for 3,932 yards with a 20:11 touchdown-to-interception ratio. That kind of resume can matter in camp, where teams are always hunting for a backup or a spot starter.
He could remain as the Raiders’ No. 3 quarterback, but he also makes a lot of sense as a trade candidate.
Then there’s Michael Mayer, the toughest name to imagine moving. He currently sits behind Brock Bowers, who is the league’s top tight end, and together they give Las Vegas a strong duo at the position.
Still, if another team decides its tight end room is not good enough to get through the season, Mayer would be a tempting target. He has the talent to be a Top-10 tight end in the NFL, and while the Raiders would not be eager to part with him, a desperate team could try to pry him loose with an appealing offer.
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Raiders Could Be Eyeing A Shocking Veteran Trade Next
The Raiders offseason has already been busy, with free-agent additions, some familiar faces brought back and a quarterback room that suddenly looks very different after the club used the No. 1 pick on Fernando Mendoza and added Kirk Cousins on a long-term deal meant to bridge the gap. Even with that kind of investment at the games most important position, the roster still feels like it has more moving parts than most teams this time of year, especially with Las Vegas trying to balance short-term competitiveness against a longer reset.
Eric Stokes is one of the names that fits that uneasy middle ground. He was re-signed this spring, but the Raiders also have a crowded group of young defensive backs, which makes him the kind of player that can draw interest if the front office decides to keep reshaping the roster. Cousins brings a different kind of intrigue, since his contract structure leaves room for the Raiders to pivot if Mendoza gets up to speed quickly, and that possibility alone keeps the quarterback situation from feeling settled just yet. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Already Have One Painful 2025 Roster Miss To Explain
The Raiders spent real energy this spring trying to uncover roster value in the undrafted free-agent market, but the early returns on that 2025 class have been rough. Several of the most notable additions never made it to the active roster, and names like Mello Dotson, Jah Joyner, Tank Booker and Jarrod Hufford have already fallen off the pro-football map or landed elsewhere after failing to stick in Las Vegas.
For a team that has spent years searching for cheap depth and hidden contributors, that kind of turnover is more than a footnote. Carter Runyon is the one UDFA from that group who has actually advanced with the Raiders, while the rest of the class has splintered into different paths, including alternative leagues for some. It leaves the front office with an uncomfortable early reminder that not every low-cost swing turns into a useful piece, even when the team thinks it has found a few. [Read more 🡒]
5 Quiet Raiders Additions Could Matter More Than Fans Think
The Raiders did not make a splashy headline-grabbing run through the offseason, but a few of their quieter additions could end up mattering just as much once camp opens. Benito Jones, Spencer Burford and Thomas Booker IV all bring different kinds of value, from veteran steadiness to interior line competition, while draft pick Hezekiah Masses and undrafted free agent Cian Slone give the roster a little more depth and a few more paths to usefulness.
Burford is the name to watch on the offensive line because there is a real opening for him to push into a bigger role, and Booker already looks like the kind of player who can help a defense without much fanfare. Masses gives Las Vegas another young defensive back to develop, and Slone is the sort of camp body who can turn into something more if he makes enough noise in the summer. None of those moves changed the leagues view of the Raiders overnight, but together they may end up looking a lot smarter than they did on the day they were announced. [Read more 🡒]