There are a lot of things to be disappointed with regarding the Las Vegas Raiders‘ start to the season but nothing has been more disappointing than the pass rush. The team signed Chandler Jones to a $51 million contract in free agency and gave Maxx Crosby $94 million. Crosby has looked worth every penny, having notched 4.0 of the Raiders’ five sacks.
Jones, on the other hand, has been nonexistent through four games. He has no sacks and just eight total pressures, per Pro Football Focus. If he doesn’t get going soon, the Raiders could be in trouble as the pass rush was supposed to carry the defense. The team may be forced to make a drastic move. David Kenyon of Bleacher Report is pitching a trade for Chicago Bears pass rusher Robert Quinn in a deal surrounding former first-round pick Clelin Ferrell:
Signed through the 2024 season at $17.5 million annually, the 32-year-old is—in theory—nearing the back end of his effectiveness. After notching 18.5 sacks with second-team AP All-Pro honors in 2021, Quinn’s value probably won’t get higher, either.
Not only should the Las Vegas Raiders be looking for an impact rusher with their $10 million in cap space, but they could also send seldom-used edge-rusher Clelin Ferrell to the Bears along with a late-round draft choice. The fourth overall pick in 2019 is a justifiable flier for the Bears. Chicago wouldn’t be tied to Ferrell beyond the 2022 season, but it might be able to unlock the 25-year-old’s potential in a new system.
Would This Be a Good Trade for Raiders?
Quinn and Jones are both 32 so adding the Bears’ pass rusher wouldn’t make the Raiders any younger. However, he’s coming off of a season where he had 18.5 sacks and was named Second-Team All-Pro. The Bears are a mess and Quinn has only 1.0 sack this season so the Raiders could try to buy low on a player who has big pass rush upside.
Quinn has an average salary of $14 million a year through 2024. That’s a great number for an All-Pro pass rusher but it’s hard to know who the Raiders would be getting. Quinn had a massive season last year but only had 2.0 sacks in 15 games the previous year. He hasn’t had back-to-back good seasons since 2013 and 2014. The Raiders have the salary cap space to make it work but taking on the multi-year contract for an aging player might not be that appealing. The team should give Jones a few more games before they take a big swing on another pass rusher.
His superior explosion to a typical interior rusher helps gather enough attention to set up two sacks in these clips
Raiders Need Pass Rushers to Step Up
The Raiders’ defense isn’t talented enough right now to overcome a lack of a pass rush. The offense is still trying to figure things out and the defense has played decently but the team is 1-3. If they hope to get back into the playoff race, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN believes more pass rushers need to step up:
Crosby has four of the Raiders’ five sacks — cornerback Nate Hobbs has the other — and while that’s a good early return on Las Vegas’ four-year, $98.98 million investment via the extension Crosby got this offseason, the Raiders need more from the defensive line in general, Chandler Jones in particular. Jones has occupied double-teams and affected the passer, but for Crosby to remain effective, the Raiders would love for Jones, who signed a three-year, $51 million free agent deal with Las Vegas this spring, to start getting home, too.
Proposed Trade Lands Raiders $70 Million All-Pro for Former 1st-Round Pick