Raiders Could Be Buyers Or Sellers At Trade Deadline

The Las Vegas Raiders are currently 3-2 and coming off a bad loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday, and that loss could start to change their position in the market at the trade deadline approaches. 

The Raiders’ fast start made it look like they could be buyers, the Raiders were thoroughly outclassed and decimated against New England, which might have swung the pendulum back the other way. 

It’s a tricky mix, and the imminent arrival of the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams as the Raiders’ next two home opponents could swing the pendulum back even further toward the Raiders being sellers. 

Daniel Popper of The Athletic did an early breakdown of who might be doing what at the deadline, and he listed the Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals as potential sellers. 

That’s a pretty long list, and there are some interesting names in it if the Raiders play well against the Bills and Rams and decide they want to go for and make a run to possibly get in on the playoff conversation. 

The Raiders have an obvious need at wide receiver, and Calvin Ridley of the Titans might be a short-term option if coach Klint Kubiak thinks he might be a fit. Ridley has mostly been a disappointment so far in his career, but he has no remaining guaranteed money on his contract after this year, so there might be a fit there. 

The Raiders have already missed out on Arizona receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who was traded to the Houston Texans over the weekend. Bryan Thomas Jr. of the Jacksonville Jaguars has been mentioned in multiple reports as a receiver who might be available at the deadline, but the Jags are strong contenders at his point, so the reports about his availability might be premature. 

The early buyers Popper named included heavy hitters like the San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills, so the Raiders might be better off as sellers given the competition there. 

The big prize if the Raiders turn into sellers would be defensive end Maxx Crosby, of course, but it would take a serious downturn for that to happen. 

There’s no reason that couldn’t happen of the Raiders continue to look as bad as they did against New England, though, as Kubiak and GM John Spytek might look to the future and try to get a pair of high draft picks for Crosby, who’s played well but might not be part of a total rebuild if things go south in Las Vegas.