The Las Vegas Raiders are 3-3 and are in Year 1 of a rebuild with head coach Klint Kubiak. As a result, it’s unlikely the Silver and Black will give up draft picks for short-term fixes. However, could the Raiders make a trade that helps them long-term?
Nonetheless, Las Vegas has an opportunity to snap their three-game losing streak against the struggling Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 25. Moreover, getting back to over .500 could entice the Raiders to look at the trade market to address a major concern on the team, which is the wideout position.
Outside of Tre Tucker, the Silver and Black are lacking production from the wide receiver room, which is why Zachary Rotman of FanSided has the Raiders as a potential landing spot for the Jacksonville Jaguars‘ Brian Thomas Jr., who is still on his rookie contract worth $14.6 million.
As part of his trade idea, Rotman has the Raiders trading a 2027 second-round pick and a 2027 fourth-round pick. Thomas could benefit from a fresh start, as he’s recorded nine catches for 105 yards and has scored one touchdown in six games this season, per StatMuse.
“The Raiders shouldn’t be eager to give up draft picks for many players, but Thomas, who just turned 24 years old 10 days ago, can be a long-term building block for Las Vegas,” Rotman wrote in an Oct. 18 article.
“There’s a good chance he’ll be better than anyone they can realistically get in the second round of the upcoming draft. From Jacksonville’s perspective, getting two valuable picks is better than keeping around a receiver who is merely an afterthought right now.”
Jaguars Might Want to Go Cardinals’ Route in Trade
Moreover, Rotman believes that the Jaguars could look for a similar package that the Arizona Cardinals got for their struggling young receiver in Marvin Harrison Jr.
“In return, the Jags would receive the same second-rounder that the Cardinals got for Harrison, as well as a fourth-rounder which can serve as an AFC tax of sorts,” Rotman added in his article. “The Raiders might not be contenders now, but the Jaguars would only be willing to help a conference rival on the rise if the return is a worthwhile one.”
Kirk Cousins on Raiders’ Three-Game Losing Streak
Thomas would be an ideal target for veteran QB Kirk Cousins, who went 23-for-41 on his pass attempts for 313 passing yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 86.7 in the Week 6 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Despite fighting until the end in two of the three losses in this losing streak, the Silver and Black still lost. As a result, Cousins spoke with reporters postgame about what he’s saying to the team amid this three-game losing streak.
“All I know to do is go back to work, to have candid conversations on Monday that make us better as a football team, to have your process, the habits that get you ready to play well, and then to go through that process to not change anything when you’re winning, to not change too much when you’re losing,” Cousins told reporters after the loss to the Bills.
“I think the only part you change is when you go back and see where we got to be better, and you emphasize that during the week. But we just got to go back to work and put the work in and expect that if you do that, the breaks will fall your way.”
Raiders Floated in Realistic Trade Idea for Jaguars’ $14.6 Million Player