The Las Vegas Raiders are viewed as one of the teams most likely to be sellers at the trade deadline.
It's understandable why. Las Vegas is having a terrible year and the team must stock up on draft picks to get this franchise moving in the right direction toward the future.
In his latest article going over some of the buzz ahead of the trade deadline, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer gave updates on wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson, cornerback Eric Stokes and tight end Michael Mayer.
Breer reports that the Raiders haven't received a lot of calls about Meyers, which is surprising considering he's one of the top receivers who could logically be moved given his contract status and past trade request.
Breer adds that teams that have inquired about Mayer and Stokes have been told no, and the former could actually get extended. As for JPJ, Breer says teams have asked about his availability and "there's a possibility" he gets traded.
The situation in Las Vegas is interesting in that Pete Carroll is trying to build a program, and the roster is so thin that trades could undermine his ability to make progress on that front over the back end of the year. Teams have called on TE Michael Mayer (whom Vegas could actually extend in the offseason) and CB Eric Stokes, and have been told no. Guard Jackson Powers-Johnson has drawn interest, too, and has had his fits and starts with the new staff, so there’s a possibility he’ll get moved. Jakobi Meyers’s name has been floating around for a while, but that’s another spot where the Raiders lack depth. There haven’t been many calls on him, either. With his deal up, he could bring more in a 2027 comp pick than a ’25 trade.
It's true trading Meyers would leave the Raiders very thin at wide receiver, but it would be worse if the veteran leaves in free agency for nothing, which figures to happen after Las Vegas didn't extend him, which left Meyers disgruntled.
"Oh, for sure," Meyers said when asked if he still wants to be traded, via ESPN’s Ryan McFadden. "But I'm a professional at the end of the day. I'm just trying to play good football."
Mayer is a logical trade candidate given the emergence of Brock Bowers, who has relegated Mayer to mostly a blocking role. The Notre Dame product has thrived in that role, but that's not important enough for the Raiders to hold on to him if they get good offers for the young tight end.
Stokes is in the midst of a career-reviving season with the Raiders and is one of the few pleasant surprises in Las Vegas. However, he's only on a one-year contract and the Raiders might be better served trading him while his value is high, as there's simply no telling if Stokes can keep up the level of play we've seen.
Powers-Johnson is the one player from this group the team absolutely should not trade.
There is no doubt things are weird between JPJ and the coaching staff. The Raiders have taken an odd approach with how they've handled him and there seems to be some kind of rift there, as Breer alluded to.
While JPJ has struggled some this season, he showed a ton of promise in 2024 and is still just 22 years old and has two years left on his rookie contract after 2025.
Las Vegas should not be looking to unload someone who could be a top-notch starter on the offensive line for the next decade plus, especially considering how difficult it is to find starting-caliber offensive linemen.
But, knowing the Raiders, they would keep the players you expect them to trade, like Mayer, Meyers and Stokes, and would trade the guy they shouldn't, like JPJ.
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