There’s been a lot of chatter surrounding Trent Brown this offseason. The 2019 Pro Bowler for the Las Vegas Raiders has become a hot-button topic. When he’s on the field, he’s one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL. Unfortunately for the Raiders, he’s only played in 16 games over his two seasons with the silver and black.
Due to his injury struggles, there’s been a lot of speculation about the team releasing him this offseason. He’s due to make around $14 million this season but the Raiders could cut him without any dead money. What hasn’t been talked about is if the team could trade him. There are plenty of teams around the NFL that would love to have a star tackle. $14 million really isn’t that bad considering David Bakhtiari and Laremy Tunsil are both making over $20 million a year.
It appears the Raiders believe they could get something in return for Brown. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Las Vegas has talked about possibly trading the star right tackle.
The #Raiders have had talks about potentially dealing tackle Trent Brown, source said, and with few available tackles in free agency, Las Vegas has a shot.
If the Raiders don’t plan on Brown being part of the team in 2021, it’s wise to at least see if there’s a trade market for him.
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What Could Raiders Get for Brown?
If Brown was coming off a season in which he played all 16 games and was healthy, the Raiders could probably get a first or second-round pick for him in a trade. The Miami Dolphins got two first-round picks and more for Tunsil when they traded him to the Texans. When healthy, Brown is probably even better than Tunsil.
The problem facing the Raiders is that Brown hasn’t been healthy in two seasons. That’s going to make him a lot less appealing on the trade market. There could be a team willing to take a risk on his upside, which is very high. However, the Raiders would be lucky to get anything for him. There have been rumors surrounding the idea that Brown doesn’t love football. Teams hate to hear those kinds of rumors. If the Raiders want to move on from Brown, they’ll probably just have to release him.
Mike Mayock Sounds off on Brown
While there seems to be a lot of traction to the idea that the Raiders will release Brown, there’s no guarantee they actually will. Head coach Jon Gruden knows that he’s a difference-maker when he’s on the field. General manager Mike Mayock even got a chance to talk about Brown recently.
“If Trent is in shape and stays committed, there’s not a better right tackle out there,” Mayock said Wednesday.
The Raiders clearly like Brown as a player. There’s a reason they handed him that massive contract in 2019. However, it’s tough for the team to make another commitment to him if they aren’t sure he can play a full season. The team doesn’t have a ton of time to make a decision but things could go either way. If they release Brown, then they have a huge need at right tackle. It’s an expensive position so the Raiders might need to end up paying over $10 million a year to address the need. If they believe he can stay healthy, keeping Brown could be the right move.
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