Silver Minings: The biggest Raiders trades that never happened

Bleacher Report posted an article on Sunday describing some of the biggest trades in NFL history that never happened, and a lot of them involved the Raiders. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and take a look at some of the biggest “What If’s” in the history of the franchise.

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John Elway to the Raiders

Boy, wouldn’t have this been something. Arguably one of the most hated opposing players ever could have been under snap as a member of the Raiders. Since Elway didn’t want to play for the Baltimore Colts, it looked as if a trade would happen prior to the 1983 NFL Draft.

The Raiders didn’t pick until No. 26, so they’d have to move up in order to get him. Here’s what ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez had to say about the Raiders nearly moving up.

“The Raiders thought they had a deal in place to acquire the rights to John Elway. The way the Raiders saw it, they were going to get the Chicago Bears’ No. 6 overall pick and flip it as part of a package to the then-Baltimore Colts for Elway.”

But, as you can tell, the trade for some reason never went through.

Photo credit should read JOHN G. MABANGLO/AFP via Getty Images

Dan Marino to the Raiders

Another all-time great quarterback almost became a Raider, this one being Dan Marino. The Raiders had a chance to acquire him in 1990 after he was becoming frustrated with the Miami Dolphins.

“[Dolphins coach Don] Shula ... not only considered the trade, but nearly took the step,” according to the Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero. “The reason Marino didn’t play his final decade in silver and black is because Shula and Davis came to an agreement on the trade and then Shula increased his asking price not once but twice.”

Who knows what the asking price was from Shula, but looking back at it, would it have been worth it?

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Steve Young to the Raiders

Oh look, another NFL QB legend coming to the Raider! Around the 1992 NFL Draft, the Raiders were interested in acquiring Young. Supposedly, the Niners wanted wide receiver Tim Brown, a first-round pick and a second-round choice in return.

“I’ll tell you what, football is strange, life is strange,” Young said prior to the 1992 season, per the Associated Press (h/t Deseret News). “There’s no doubt the Raiders were trying to get me on their sideline. Whether the 49ers were is up to great debate. There’s no doubt that something was going on throughout the offseason, but this is what I wanted, to be here, so I’m happy.”

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Aaron Rodgers to the Raiders

OK, this is the final one. It seems like every quarterback who is considered to be one of the best of their generation was linked to the Raiders at some point.

One rumored trade, from ProFootballTalk, had the Packers sending 2005 first-round pick Aaron Rodgers to the Raiders in exchange for wide receiver Randy Moss. What a trade that would have been, as Moss would have ben the primary target for Brett Favre.

Other Raiders’ news and notes:

• In case you missed it on Sunday, Mark Davis said he won’t attend any Raiders games in 2020 if fans aren’t allowed in the stands.
• Derek Carr is one of many NFL players to voice their opinions on playing this year #WeWantToPlay.

• Here are five players the Raiders should have drafted at No. 12 in the 2013 NFL Draft.
• Bleacher Reports says that the Raiders will be one of the most improved offenses in the NFL in 2020.