Several NFL executives are predicting the Las Vegas Raiders to make a bold and questionable trade in the offseason.
Las Vegas Raiders Owner Mark Davis and General Manager John Sytek were in attendance for the College Football Playoff National Championship to watch Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza do his thing.
Mendoza is projected to be the first pick of the 2026 National Football League Draft, so Raiders brass wanted to see him in person and get a feel for who should be under center for the team for years to come.
Mendoza didn’t have his best game, but he did enough to complete Indiana’s perfect 16-0 season with a national championship. The 6-foot-5-inch QB completed 16 of 27 passes for 186 yards as well as a 12-yard rushing touchdown, though he had seven carries for a loss of eight yards.
The touchdown run showed just how gritty Mendoza is, as he lowered his shoulder into a defender to get into the end zone. He doesn’t run often, but with his size, he can break tackles and extend plays.
To many, Mendoza is certainly the guy for the Raiders. Drafting him to play with running back Ashton Jeanty and All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers is the most logical move for Davis and Spytek.
Yet, in a shocking surprise, multiple NFL executives around the league are predicting that the Raiders will trade for two-time Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens this offseason.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that during an exercise involving several executives, coaches, scouts and evaluators, he asked them to give a bold prediction for the upcoming season and some of them predicted that Jackson would be traded to the Raiders.
“It just seems like there's been some consternation there with Lamar and the Ravens, and this would be the ultimate Mark Davis move,” an NFL personnel evaluator said. “I'm not even convinced everybody with Vegas would be on board with it but it would instantly solve their quarterback problems.”
That would be an insane blockbuster deal if it happened, however, it makes zero sense. Sure, the Ravens would rather get a haul for their star QB if he’s not going to extend with the team, but besides that, why would the Ravens do that? Why would the Raiders do that?
It goes without saying that Jackson is a premier talent in this league, that’s why he’s a two-time MVP. But with the opportunity to select the top QB prospect and have him grow with your other young star players, I can’t see Las Vegas making this trade.
It would absolutely shake up the league, and that’s kind of the point of these bold predictions, but the Raiders need so much more positionally before they could entertain trading for Jackson and giving him the money he wants and deserves.
Given where the team is, the chances that a trade of this caliber are slim-to-none (and I’m leaning none).