As the Raiders head into Week 8, the bigger question isn’t whether the trade deadline will get noisy. It’s whether Las Vegas will resist the temptation to get swept up in it.
Nine days before the NFL trade deadline hits at 4 pm Eastern, 1 pm Pacific, the Raiders are sitting on a four-game losing streak and a familiar cloud of speculation. Maxx Crosby has lived in trade rumor territory for years, including the wild March deal that sent him to the Baltimore Ravens for two first-round picks before a failed physical wiped the move out completely.
But this time, the conversation feels different. Not because Crosby’s name is suddenly less interesting, but because of how general manager John Spytek and head coach Klint Kubiak are shaping the roster.
The deadline can be chaotic, and there’s always a temptation to chase the moment. The Indianapolis Colts already moved future Hall of Fame guard Quenton Nelson and Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner two weeks before the deadline. The Tennessee Titans sent franchise defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons to the red-hot Chicago Bears for two first-round picks and a late selection.
Still, Las Vegas does not look like a team built to dive headfirst into that kind of frenzy. If anything, the Raiders should be sticking to the disciplined rebuild they’ve been building toward. Buying aggressively would run against that approach.
That doesn’t mean they can’t make a move. If the Raiders do dip into the market, it would make more sense for depth help along the offensive line, at defensive tackle, or at edge rusher. Beyond that, they should be more likely to sell than buy, with the goal of adding draft capital and staying on course with the rebuild.
Crosby remains the obvious name in any deadline conversation, and the Raiders could theoretically get a package similar to what the Ravens once offered. But the relationship has already been repaired, and there’s no reason to go back through the ordeal of moving a player who should be a Raider lifer.
If Las Vegas does look to deal elsewhere, one name that stands out is right guard Jackson Powers-Johnson. The former second-round pick has lost his starting job and is trying to win it back from Caleb Rogers.
He could help a team in need of offensive line support at center or either guard spot, with the Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers fitting that description. The Cleveland Browns could also make sense as they enter the weekend as the NFC North leader.
Another player worth watching is Darien Porter. He and rookie Hezekiah Masses are rotating at cornerback opposite Eric Stokes, and Porter could appeal to teams looking for cornerback depth or a physical outside Cover 3 defender. The Raiders may also want to get a closer look at Jermod McCoy, which adds another layer to Porter’s situation.
Outside of Crosby, Powers-Johnson, and Porter, the message for Las Vegas should stay the same: keep the discipline, protect the rebuild, and avoid chasing short-term fixes. That means holding onto a talent like Crosby while being willing to move on from a lost asset from a previous regime like Powers-Johnson.
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Baltimores interest, if it comes, would not exist in a vacuum. The Ravens and Raiders have already dealt with their share of tension in recent months, and that history gives any potential conversation a little extra edge. For Las Vegas, the bigger point is simple: a quarterback who has played well enough to stir deadline chatter can change the temperature of the entire market, especially when one of the leagues more aggressive teams may be forced to consider every option. [Read more 🡒]