The Las Vegas Raiders were planning on having a season of playoff contention.
But that’s not how things have gone, and with the NFL trade deadline here on Tuesday, big names are now up in the rumors: What are the Raiders going to do? Who are the Raiders going to sell?
The two popular names circulating the Internet are Maxx Crosby and Jakobi Meyers. But they are two very different situations.
Meyers is a realistic trade option. He asked out in the offseason and is in the last year of his contract.
“Realistically, Meyers is the Raiders’ best player who could give them reasonable compensation,” ESPN’s Ryan McFadden writes. “He is in the final year of his contract and could bolster a contender’s offense despite his numbers declining in recent weeks. Meyers has recorded fewer than 40 receiving yards in four straight games after averaging 76 yards in the first three weeks. The Raiders would deal the veteran only if they felt they were getting strong value in return, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. A trade offer of that nature has not materialized, according to sources.”
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Crosby, on the other hand, isn’t going anywhere.
“Las Vegas has no plans of trading away defensive end Maxx Crosby, and the three-year, $106.5 million contract extension that he signed in the offseason as a sign of the long-term commitment that both parties have with each other,” McFadden writes.
“I just have a special connection with the fan base,” Crosby told reporters postgame on Sunday. “I’ve been here for seven years, and they’ve been through it, just like I’ve been through it. …I’m [going to] continue giving everything I got until I can’t anymore, and whatever day that is, we’ll see.”
There are teams that would like these players, of course. The Buffalo Bills, for example, could use help at both of these positions.
The Raiders’ phones will surely be ringing. But it sure seems like the outcomes for Meyers and Crosby will end up being different.
