The Las Vegas Raiders are gearing up for what feels like a “must-win” game in Week 7 against the hobbled Los Angeles Rams. However, the NFL Trade Deadline is quickly approaching (Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. PST), and that’s the biggest focus of this week’s mailbag. So, let’s get to it!
Q: What players would be good options for the Raiders’ timeline to buy at the trade deadline?
A: Understandably, I got a bunch of questions about Quenton Nelson, so I’ll dive into my thoughts on him in the question/answer below and focus on other players here, all of whom come from The Athletic’s big board. Shout out to Daniel Popper for putting that together!
DT Jeffery Simmons, Tennessee Titans
Normally, I wouldn’t be in favor of trading for someone who will turn 30 in the summer. But 2025 was Simmons’ best season, and he’s been playing well this year, so it’s not as if he’s showing signs of regressing. Also, he signed an extension in the offseason and would be under team control through 2030. The issue with Simmons to the Raiders is that he was arrested for violence against a woman, and Mark Davis typically draws the line there. However, the incident occurred when Simmons was still in high school and was over a decade ago, and he hasn’t been in any legal trouble since then.
DT Moro Ojomo, Philadelphia Eagles
Ojomo is an impending free agent, so trading for him would also require a contract extension. The other end of that is that John Spytek could wait until the offseason and just sign Ojomo in free agency without having to give up a draft pick for him. So, it’s just a matter of how much it’s worth to get ahead of the 25-year-old’s market and add a player who would fill the defense’s biggest hole right now to help keep this season afloat? And of course, what the Eagles are willing to accept to part with Ojomo. If Ojomo isn’t traded, there’s a good chance he hits the open market since Philly recently paid defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis.
WR Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
I’ve been pounding this drum for a while. Obviously, Thomas’ production has been underwhelming since his near 1,300-yard performance as a rookie. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be talking about him as a trade candidate. But I get the feeling that’s a relationship issue with Liam Coen. It feels like they’ve never been on the same page and have been butting heads since Coen got the job last year. So, if it’s pennies on the dollar, trading for a 24-year-old who could solve the WR1 problem might be worth the risk. With the fifth-year option, the Raiders could get two-and-a-half seasons to see how Thomas performs in Klint Kubiak’s offense before giving him a big-money extension.
G Landon Dickerson, Philadelphia Eagles
Buyer beware with Dickerson because he’s had several significant injuries, dating back to his college days. The recent ones seem to have really impacted his play on the field, too. However, when healthy, the three-time Pro Bowler is a very good guard and just turned 28 years old. It’s just a matter of how much risk Spytek and Co. are willing to take because last season wasn’t pretty for Dickerson, and he’s only played in one game so far this year.
Q: Should the Raiders give up a 2nd and 4th along with a player to get Quenton Nelson? I may be delusional, but I think this offense could get close to elite with a dominant guard. They need to get the run game fixed, especially when Mendoza takes over.
A: I don’t hate the idea of trading for Nelson at all! He’s been a Pro Bowler literally every year of his career, made three first-team All-Pro teams and three more second-team selections, and is playing well this year. Clearly, Nelson would be a MASSIVE upgrade over what the Raiders currently have at guard. But where I get a little pause is that he turns 31 in March and is in a contract year. That makes me more cost-conscious when it comes to a trade.
To be clear, I’m not as worried about an offensive lineman’s age since the organization has to protect its investment in Mendoza, especially with a lineman of Nelson’s caliber. But Spytek does have to factor in that the team might only get two or three really good years from Nelson, which impacts how high of a pick he should be willing to give up.
Also impacting the price tag or Spytek’s willingness to get a deal done now is that Nelson might be available on the open market this offseason, anyway. It’s the same logic as Ojomo above: How much is getting ahead of the market worth? I wish I had an answer to that question, but there’s only one person who does…
For me, second- and fourth-round picks AND a player would be too much. If it’s just a second, I think the Raiders should do that in a heartbeat. They aren’t finding a guard who is even close to as good as Nelson is on Day 2 of the draft. I start to waver when two picks are involved because that’s two players who could get second contracts in Las Vegas when Nelson is likely going to be a one-contract addition. Also, that’s where the fact he might be available in free agency for no draft picks really weighs on my mind.
Ultimately, I think Nelson should be on the table for the Raiders, where Spytek is at least picking up the phone and giving the Colts a call.
Q: Trench Questions: How do you feel about the DTs so far this year? We clamored for a true nose tackle in the draft and got next to nothing. Anyone you’re impressed with on our roster? Is there a trade candidate you feel like could provide what we need?
A: I touched on a lot of this above, but defensive tackle is by far the weakest position group on the Raiders’ defense right now.
Thomas Booker IV is probably having the best season of the position group, and Booker is nothing to write home about. If Spytek doesn’t trade for one of the two defensive tackles mentioned above — and you could throw Vita Vea in there, too — then it needs to be one of the general manager’s top priorities in the offseason. He’s ignored it for too long and the defense is paying the price.
The draft class has been pretty disapointing at the position as a whole this year, but I still really like Ole Miss’ Will Echoles and Tennesssee’s Xavier Gilliam has been a huge riser this season. In free agency, I’ll be keeping my eye on Ojomo and Kobie Turner from the Los Angeles Rams to give you a few names to keep tabs on for the offseason.
Q: Chances of seeing Jackson Powers-Johnson or Trey Zuhn III start at LG? I’m not mad at Caleb Rogers getting live reps at RG if they see him as a future long-term RG. I’m sure Burford isn’t the long-term answer at LG.
A: I get the feeling Powers-Johnson’s days in Las Vegas are numbered.
It hasn’t been a big deal this year because I think he realized after the Raiders gave Tyler Linderbaum a bag in free agency that his only chance at seeing the field is at guard, but JPJ made it no secret during his first two years that he wants to play center. Now that he’s not even starting at guard, I can see a “mutual parting of ways” coming in the future. Maybe not at the deadline, but that will at least be a talking point in the offseason. I view this as a similar situation to Tyree Wilson this past offseason.
Zuhn, on the other hand, I could absolutely see starting at left guard at some point this season. As you mentioned, Burford played well last week after getting called out in the media (you’re welcome, Spencer!), but he’s been far from consistent this season and throughout his career. Also, he’s only on a one-year contract while Zuhn is in year one of a third-round rookie contract, giving the latter a lot more future/long-term value.
When does that happen? Well, your guess is as good as mine because, in my opinion, Klint Kubiak is too attached to Burford. But if the veteran doesn’t start stringing good games together, the rookie is waiting in the wings, and Kubiak might get forced to make that change.
A: I get the feeling that the Eagles are okay with punting on this season. They’ve had a bunch of turmoil between significant injuries, Lane Johnson retiring and now the whole Jalen Hurts blood clots debacle, so I think they’re willing to just take the rest of the season in stride. Also, I don’t think they’re a quarterback away from becoming a legitimate Super Bowl contender again, especially one who comes in midseason and has to learn a new playbook and whatnot.
Also, I think having Cousins around while Mendoza is starting would be valuable for the Raiders. Whenever he takes over, Mendoza is going to have his ups and downs as a starter. That’s where having a mentor like Cousins helps because it gives the rookie a peer to talk to when it comes to staying mentally resilient in the NFL, especially since Cousins has been through the wringer during his 15 years in the league.
A: A couple of clarifications here before I dive into the answer. The trade deadline is the Tuesday after Week 9, so it’d have to be two of the next three games instead of three of four. Also, the Raiders have seven picks in the 2027 draft, according to Sumer Sports. One in each of the first five rounds, two in the sixth and none in the seventh.
But your point still holds that they could fall significantly out of playoff contention over the next few weeks and could use some more draft picks. The problem is that, in general, the NFL has the least active trade deadline of any professional sport, given how much more important learning/mastering the playbook and chemistry with teammates are in football compared to basketball or baseball.
So, I don’t think there would be “several” trades from Las Vegas at the deadline, but one or two could be realistic if the team’s playoff hopes are slipping. Also, if Spytek is waiting to see how the next three weeks go before making a trade, it’s going to be hard to get multiple deals done in two days.
He’d have to start negotiating a week or two before and be transparent with the other GMs that any deal is contingent on the Raiders’ record, and I could see the other GMs not wanting to put in all the legwork to agree to deals that might not even happen. And if Spytek isn’t transparent, then he risks pissing off his counterparts and getting a reputation as someone who doesn’t negotiate in good faith, making it difficult to pull off trades in the future.
A: It’s definitely a combination of both. For one, Mayer has been healthy, both physically and mentally, and that was an issue during his first three years after missing 13 games during that timeframe. He’s always been super talented; widely considered one of, if not the, best tight ends in the 2023 draft class, which was really strong at the position.
Finally being able to stay on the field (so far) has definitely helped with Mayer’s development. Additionally, Kubiak has done a great job of finding ways to take advantage of his YAC skills. For context, he has the fourth-most yards after the catch (158) among tight ends this season, per Pro Football Focus, and is only 15 yards behind Hunter Henry — who has already played this week — for second place. Also, it helps that Cousins is quick to check the ball down, and Mayer has proven to be a reliable checkdown option.
A: Someone who knows AI/photoshop better than I do (which is little to nothing) put Bowers’ bald head on Scrooge McDuck’s in the GIF above because that’s going to be him when he gets a contract extension.
Right now, George Kittle (4 years, $76.4 million or $19.1 million per year) and Trey McBride (4 years, $76 million or $19 million per year) are the highest-paid tight ends in the NFL. Bowers is going to crush that and probably get wide receiver money. Especially with how Kubiak has been using him, the Raiders are going to find themselves in a similar situation as the Saints did with Jimmy Graham several years ago, where Graham was technically a tight end but used more like a wide receiver, leading to some negotiation holdup.
It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Bowers gets something similar to Amon-Ra St. Brown’s four-year, $120 million contract extension. This past offseason, John Spytek showed that he’s willing to disrupt the market for a young player that he believes is a top-tier talent, making Tyler Linderbaum the league’s highest-paid center by $9 million per year. That sets a precedent, so I don’t see Spytek being cheap when it comes to the offense’s clear best player.
Q: Are there any players you would consider extending during the season, as Mayer was?
A: Since the Raiders have to wait until the offseason for a Bowers extension, I think Tre Tucker is the only early extension candidate. Maybe Jeremy Chinn falls into that category too. But I don’t think they would be devastated if either of those guys walked in free agency, which should reduce the urgency. At this stage, I’d be kind of surprised if anyone else gets an extension before February.
Then again, I didn’t think Mayer would get an early extension, so I won’t close the door on the topic. If Tucker starts stringing a few more productive games together, that will change my perspective.
A: I’m not a fan of the 17-game schedule, to be honest. Don’t get me wrong, nobody loves watching good football more than I do, but we didn’t get that in Week 18 last year. There were hardly any meaningful matchups, and look at the Raiders-Chiefs game. That was basically a preseason game where both teams played two quarterbacks, and it was brutal to watch.
I just feel like the NFL is toeing the line of losing the novelty of games by expanding the season and adding more games throughout the week. That’s what differentiates it from the NBA, MLB and NHL, where people plan their entire week around Sunday so they can watch football. If the NFL adds more games and/or has a game every night, they’re going to lose some of the scarcity factor.
So no, I wouldn’t support the 18-game schedule from that perspective, and the player safety factor that the league likes to tell people they care about while tossing around ideas like this one or expanding the international series despite questionable playing surfaces, etc. But I get the feeling it’s inevitable, and I do think it needs to come with an extra bye week to help reduce the risk of injuries by giving player’s bodies more healing time.
A: The Jeanty-Washington debates/statisical comparison is still missing the fact that defenses are playing the two backs differently.
Per Sumer Sports, 41.8% of Jeanty’s carries have come against a heavy box (eight defenders or more) and 53.1% have been against base personnell (seven front defensive linemen and linebackers on the field), leading to 78.9% of his yards coming after contact. Meanwhile, Washington’s figures are 20.6%, 41.8% and 66.1% in the same categories. That’s a big reason why the rookie has been able to break more long runs.
That being said, I’ve backed Jeanty a bunch on here, and I’m with you in that my patience is starting to wear thin. I do think he can be a good back in the league, but he needs better blocking, which the Raiders haven’t been able to provide.
He clearly isn’t the type of back who can make something out of nothing consistently. To be fair, there are very few running backs who can. But when you’re drafted in the same range as Saquon Barkley and Bijan Robinson, that becomes an expectation.
For the record, I never thought Jeanty was in that category and is a tier below it. In other words, worthy of a first-round pick but outside of the top 10. I didn’t even do a breakdown on him ahead of the draft because of that and never felt that the Raiders were in a position to draft a running back sixth overall. I promise I’m not trying to pat myself on the back here, I’m just saying we’re seeing the effects of that unfold over the last year and a half.
All of this is to say; if there’s an opportunity to trade Jeanty either at the deadline or in the offseason and recoup some value, like a second-rounder, I think the Raiders should jump on that unless something changes in the coming weeks. I’m still not convinced Washington can be a lead back, but adding an extra draft pick to fill another hole while still having someone who can tote the rock would be hard to pass up.
That’ll do it for this week’s mailbag. Thank you all for submitting questions and, as your weekly reminder, if you’d like to have your questions answered in a future column, tweet them at me, @MHolder95, email them to SBPQuestions1@gmail.com or look for our weekly call for questions on the site. The latter will continue to publish on Thursdays.