The Raiders find themselves in a strange spot with the trade deadline closing in. At 4-5 after Sunday’s return to the Bay Area against the San Francisco 49ers, Las Vegas doesn’t look like a team that has to sell, and it doesn’t quite look like a club that should be throwing future assets around, either.
That leaves John Spytek in a position most front offices would take in a heartbeat. He has pieces other teams might want, but he doesn’t need to move anyone just to make a move. In other words, he has leverage, and that’s not something the Raiders usually get to enjoy.
Because of that, it would make plenty of sense if Las Vegas stayed quiet before Tuesday’s deadline. Spytek can keep his cards in his hand and still be fine. He doesn’t need to force action for the sake of appearances.
Here are five deadline ideas the Raiders can comfortably pass on.
A wide receiver deal is the obvious place for the phone to ring, but that doesn’t mean the Raiders should jump at the first name that comes up. There’s a case for adding help there, sure, but not if it means settling for a random body or getting dragged into a bidding war.
Josh Downs is one of the more notable names out there, and he has asked for a trade, with the Indianapolis Colts attached to a third-round pick as their asking price. Multiple teams are interested.
Other possible options - Jerry Jeudy of the Cleveland Browns, Kayshon Boutte of the Houston Texans, Darnell Mooney of the New York Giants and Dontayvion Wicks of the Philadelphia Eagles - don’t really change the picture enough. None of them looks like the long-term answer as the WR1 the Raiders offense needs.
If Las Vegas is going to make a real swing at receiver, Brian Thomas Jr. would be the name at the top of the list, and there’s a noticeable gap between him and everyone else. The Jacksonville Jaguars are trying to sell the idea that he matters to them, even though everything else points the other way.
Multiple teams have reportedly checked in, so Jacksonville has the kind of leverage that can turn a deadline into a bidding war. Spytek shouldn’t be the one getting pulled into that, whether it’s Thomas or Downs. And if the Raiders are only looking at the bargain bin, that doesn’t make much sense either, since that kind of move would mostly just eat into snaps for someone who might still have a future in Silver and Black.
Defensive tackle is another area where the Raiders could use help, especially if the target can hold up against the run and create some pressure. Christian Barmore has come up as a possible option, with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reporting that he could be available because he has fallen behind in the New England Patriots’ pecking order.
Breer also said on NBC Sports Boston, "My understanding is the price would be about a fourth-round pick, and he may be tradable because if you look at his contract, he’s making $13.3 million this year," Breer said. "So you’d be taking on a prorated number off of that if you did trade for him.
His numbers balloon after this year. ... Those numbers aren’t guaranteed."
Barmore has 3.5 sacks while playing half of New England’s defensive snaps entering Week 9, but the run defense numbers are rough. His 44.8 Pro Football Focus run defense grade is well below where it needs to be, and last year it was even worse at 33.6, when he was charged with 12 missed tackles. Add in off-field character concerns that would need to be checked thoroughly, and he doesn’t look like a player the Raiders need to chase right now.
The quarterback situation is another area where patience makes more sense than panic. Kirk Cousins has been holding down the fort until Fernando Mendoza is ready, and the setup has gone about as well as the Raiders could have hoped. Cousins has had some inflated numbers in garbage time, but overall he has played well.
Week 9 was ugly, but Las Vegas is still hanging around .500, which keeps the Mendoza decision in the background for now, whether that’s the right call or not. There has been plenty of chatter about the Minnesota Vikings possibly wanting Cousins back, and if the Raiders were sitting at 3-6 or 2-7, it would be easier to see them cashing in.
There’s also the possibility that a contender suddenly gets desperate. The Baltimore Ravens are a good example of how fast things can change after losing Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley to long-term injuries in Week 8, leaving them with undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano. They already gave up two draft picks to get Jacoby Brissett from the Arizona Cardinals.
If a real Cousins market develops now, it probably comes from a situation like that - a team losing its starter during Sunday’s Week 9 action, or a club realizing on Monday night that its quarterback plan has gone sideways. In that kind of scenario, a second-round pick or more could be in play. Anything short of that, and Spytek should keep Cousins.
And then there’s Maxx Crosby, the one name that should be completely off the table unless someone comes with an offer that changes everything.
Crosby would not be a Raider today if the Baltimore Ravens hadn’t overlooked his knee surgery recovery timeline back in March. So yes, the old "everybody’s got a price" idea applies here in theory. But theory and reality are two different things.
Crosby has made it clear he wants to stay in Las Vegas, and the team has shown no sign that it wants to move him. He remains the engine of the pass rush, and with the Raiders still in the playoff conversation, dealing the best defensive player on the roster would send the wrong message to everyone in the locker room.
Trade talk around Crosby is never going away entirely while the Raiders aren’t a top-tier team. It will come back again in the offseason. For now, though, unless someone shows up with an offer that can’t be ignored, the Raiders should leave that conversation alone.
In Other News...
Raiders May Have Found A First Round Answer To Their Guard Problem
The Raiders have spent enough time searching for stability on the interior of their offensive line that a first-round solution would be hard to ignore, and Minnesota guard Greg Johnson is starting to look like the kind of prospect who fits that billing. At 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds, he brings the size teams want up front, along with the kind of power and movement skills that can help in both pass protection and the run game.
What makes Johnson especially intriguing for Las Vegas is the versatility layered into his profile. He is not just a guard prospect, which matters for a team trying to build flexibility into its line, and his early college performance has only strengthened the case that he could be more than a developmental option. If he is still on the board when the 2027 NFL Draft arrives, the Raiders could have a real answer to one of their most persistent problems. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Face A Trade Deadline Choice That Could Define This Run
The Raiders have spent the first half of the season turning preseason skepticism into something much more interesting, staying in playoff contention and forcing a real conversation about how aggressive they should be before the Nov. 10 trade deadline. With the roster outperforming expectations, the front office now has a chance to treat this as a legitimate run rather than a pleasant surprise, and the next move could say a lot about how seriously the team views its place in the AFC race.
The biggest question is whether Las Vegas chooses to shore up the offense around Ashton Jeanty or reinforce the defensive front for Maxx Crosby, because both areas have been flagged as places where help could matter quickly. Several possible trade targets are already in the mix, and the Raiders do not lack for options, but the harder part is deciding which need is most urgent and which addition would best fit a team trying to keep this momentum alive into November. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Trade Deadline Silence Says Plenty About Their Real Direction
The trade deadline is arriving with the Raiders looking more like a team trying to steady the room than stir it up. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Las Vegas has not received trade inquiries for quarterback Kirk Cousins or defensive standout Maxx Crosby, and the organization is said to have no immediate plans to move either player. The current plan is to keep Cousins in place as the starting quarterback, a sign that the Raiders are at least publicly leaning toward continuity over a deadline reset.
Crosbys name always carries weight in trade chatter, but the silence around him has been just as telling as any rumor. The bigger question is whether the Raiders are simply downplaying interest to keep leverage on their side, or whether this is a real reflection of where they believe the roster stands right now. Either way, the lack of movement suggests a front office that is not eager to make the kind of splash that usually comes with a team trying to change its trajectory in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]