HENDERSON, Nev.—The Las Vegas Raiders (3-3) host the Los Angeles Rams (2-4) this weekend in what has been an overachieving 2026 season, and the intrigue could have a long-lasting impact.
Sunday’s impact goes beyond one game on the schedule. With an upset victory, the Raiders would plant themselves in the NFL Playoff hunt; with a loss, they'd be reminded this is a Raiders rebuilding year, with all eyes on the future.
NFL Trade Deadline
The 2026 NFL trade deadline is approaching on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 4 PM ET/1 PM PT, and the sooner the Raiders have clarity on the franchise's direction, the sooner some angles on how they approach it will come into focus—emphasis on some.
Raiders GM John Spytek has done a masterful job since the team decided to move on from Pete Carroll and build the franchise the right way by developing and following his scheme and plan. He hasn't wavered or faltered once.
Buyers or Sellers?
Regardless of whether this season was a rebuild or an all-out push towards the playoffs, the Raiders are always, every year, every day, and every season going to be buyers. If Spytek can upgrade his roster talent, he'll always be willing to buy.
Similarly, just as the Raiders will always be buyers when they can upgrade, the playoff scenario has no bearing on trading players who don't fit the long-term plan, young or old. But any player, young or old, who is determined not to be part of the long-term plan can and would be shipped out.
Changing Perspective
But where the angles change is if the Raiders are in playoff contention.
When Spytek selected No. 1 overall the QB that NFL executives raved over and called the best QB prospect in the last four NFL Drafts, Fernando Mendoza, he found his long-term franchise QB.
The plan never was, and never will be, for Kirk Cousins to be the long-term answer. The 15-year veteran is a masterful short-term leader and mentor, but not the guy who will lead the Raiders in 2036. Ideally, that would be Mendoza.
But with the Raiders overachieving in 2026, trading Cousins to a contender is no longer a given if the playoffs are still on the table.
If an older player isn’t a long-term answer, such as QB Kirk Cousins, but is vital to the current playoff push, he's likely to stay.
Potential Trade Targets
The Raiders have needs in several areas. RG is still wide open, and LG Spencer Burford is on a one-year deal. The Raiders also need help on the defensive line. While the Raiders have young talent, they also need help in the defensive backfield and at other positions.
We all know the Raiders have no clear WR1, but having one available at the trade deadline doesn’t seem to fit the NFL ethos this year. A blockbuster trade of that magnitude would likely happen in the offseason.
Players Rumored Around NFL To Have Raiders' Attention
According to people across the NFL, here are some names that the Raiders could potentially target.
- Quenton Nelson, 30 (Guard, Colts): In the final year of his contract, indications are that talks of a long-term deal have stalled, and the Colts now have no GM. Nelson has been highlighted as a high-impact target to stabilize the left side of the interior offensive line.
- The Raiders could add an elite LG, which would allow Burford, who has performed far more consistently than the current Raiders RG, to try to solidify that spot, or not re-sign at the end of the year. Nelson is an elite talent who fits the Raiders' scheme.
- Zyon McCollum, 27 (Cornerback, Buccaneers): The twin brother of Raiders S Tristin, Zyon is very familiar to Spytek and is under contract at $16 million per year for the rest of this season and the next two. He is a beast in the running game and a pass-coverage expert.
- Spytek knows him, and the young player instantly upgrades the Raiders' DB room. The Bucs are underachieving, and if the season goes south, they may look to unload players who might not fit if they ultimately go in a different direction.
- Brandon Stephens, 28 (Cornerback, NYJ): Stephens is a $12 million-per-year player under contract for the rest of this year and next. Still young, if the Raiders decide they have too many questions about their young CBs to wait, and McCollum isn't the answer, they could go in the direction of Stephens.
- The deal is friendly for the team, which is nice, but he could be more of a “fill-in” as Darien Porter and Hezekiah Masses grow, whereas McCollum would be a long-term solution.
- Daron Payne, 29 (Defensive Lineman, Commanders): In the last year of his deal, paired next to Maxx Crosby, the terrific player could bolster the Raiders long-term. This one is the least likely because of the big cap hit and the emergence of the DT room, but many around the NFL think Spytek has considered it from the third floor of Raiders headquarters.
Other Options
These aren't the only players, but many in the NFL see them as the most viable. If the Raiders move players currently on their roster, this list could change dramatically.
Current Raiders Others Like
This is not the NBA, MLB, or even the NHL, but the NFL world is changing, and each year, as of late, the trade deadline, often overlooked in the NFL in the past, isn’t anymore.
Here are some potential players currently on rosters who have interest around the NFL, or who could have niche interest.
QB Aidan O'Connell
QB Aidan O'Connell is a very interesting player. The conventional wisdom around him in the NFL is fascinating. As one GM said, “He hasn’t shown enough to eliminate him as a potential QB1, but he has shown enough to know he isn’t a lock. He intrigues a lot of us as a great backup.”
Many believe the Raiders made the rare move of keeping three QBs on the 53-man roster because of his value and the likelihood of trading Cousins. That was before the NFL playoff chances were legitimate.
Klint Kubiak’s father backed up John Elway for 11 years in Denver. I know factually the Raiders love him, trust him, and believe in him. Would the Raiders be willing to pay him handsomely as an insurance policy for Fernando Mendoza, or does O’Connell want to move on, spread his wings, and get a legitimate shot at QB1? That isn’t happening in Vegas.
If Cousins isn’t moved and O’Connell wants to test free agency, his comp pick value isn’t high, so while unlikely, he is a potential candidate to be moved.
WR Tre Tucker
Tre Tucker has a contract that ends at the end of this season, and he is going to get paid. It seems highly unlikely that the Raiders would want to lose him. With that in mind, with no WR1 and his production on the rise, his cost is going up nearly every week.
If the Raiders don’t see him as a long-term guy, or if a deal can’t get done to their liking, and they're out of the NFL playoff hunt, he'll be a name that comes up. A market exists for the young man at the deadline.
S Jeremy Chinn
Jeremy Chinn is only 28 and has performed well for the Silver and Black. The Raiders will have to determine his value in a long-term deal and whether both parties are on the same page. An NFL executive brought his name up to me, but Chinn has earned another deal and is young enough to fit the long-term vision. If his cost is prohibitive in Spytek’s mind, then that is a real possibility, but it's hard to imagine him being shipped out with them in the hunt, given his play and his youth.
DT Adam Butler
Adam Butler is under a great contract for any team, is playing at a high level, but also isn’t young. Next year will be his 10th in the NFL, and there's definitely a market for him. Would the Raiders want to extend him for two, or even three, more years, or could Spytek make a significant offer the Raiders couldn’t say no to? That is a real possibility for the man playing like a beast, consistently.
EDGE Maxx Crosby
Maxx Crosby is playing some of his best football. The Raiders are not shopping him, but they did trade him once this year. He isn’t asking for a trade either, but Crosby craves championships and isn’t getting any younger. Could a legitimate contender come calling with an offer the Raiders couldn’t say no to? Teams want Crosby, but the deal would have to make sense for the team calling, the Raiders, and Crosby. Far-fetched? Not at all. Probable? Maybe.
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