6 potential trade back partners

The Las Vegas Raiders have plenty of options when it comes to the seventh overall pick of next week’s NFL Draft. Of course, they could stay put and add a quarterback or the best defensive player available, but wheeling and dealing to strike a trade with another team is on the table for the Raiders as well.

Trading up for one of the top signal-callers is certainly an option for head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Zeigler, however, it feels more likely that they’ll trade back and look to add more premium picks. While Las Vegas already has 12 selections in the draft, just four are within the Top 100 picks and the team could use a few immediate starters.

So, what teams might give McDaniels and Ziegler a ring, and what can they offer?

Tennesee Titans

Picks: 11 (1st round), 41 (2nd), 72 (3rd), 147 (5th), 186 via Atlanta (6th round), 228 (7th)

There have been rumors this offseason that the Titans might be looking to move on from Ryan Tannehill and while head coach Mike Vrabel said Tannehill is the team’s starter, that doesn’t preclude them from investing in a quarterback of the future.

The soon-to-be 35-year-old is in a contract year and an extension feels unlikely given his age and declining play recently. While Malik Willis could be considered “the quarterback in waiting”, he struggled mightily in limited action last season and was just a third-round pick last year. So, it wouldn’t be too much of a sunk cost if Tennessee wanted to dip its toes into the market again this year.

If the Titans are interested in someone like Kentucky’s Will Levis, they would be wise to leap-frog the Atlanta Falcons—who pick eighth overall—to make sure they can get their guy and it wouldn’t cost them much.

Per the NFL Trade Value Chart for draft picks, Tennesee could swap picks 11 and seven with Las Vegas and throw in their third-rounder for a nearly equal-value trade. The Raiders would be losing about 20 points of value, but they also would only be moving back a few spots in the first round while adding another Top 75 pick.

Washington Commanders

Picks: 16 (1st), 47 (2nd), 97 (3rd), 118 (4th), 150 (5th), 193 (6th), 215 (6th), 233 (7th)

The Commanders are in a somewhat similar spot as the Titans with their quarterback situation. Sam Howell, Washington’s 2022 fifth-round pick, has been named the starter but that feels a little like a smoke screen as turning the keys to the franchise over to Day 3 guy without any competition would be an interesting decision.

The problem is the Commanders are in a tough spot to find another quarterback with the 16th overall pick, so they’ll likely have to trade up.

Washington will need to come up with about 500 points—in addition to offering pick 16—to pull within even value and their second-round pick gets them close as it’s worth 430 points. Throwing in a Day 3 selection could get the job done, or they could put a package together that includes No. 97 overall (112 points), a late-rounder and a pick in next year’s draft.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Picks: 19 (1st), 50 (2nd), 82 (3rd), 153 (5th), 175 (5th), 179 via Houston (6th), 181 from Indianapolis (6th), 196 (6th), 252 (7th)

Tampa Bay is about to enter the post-Tom Brady era with Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask as their replacement options. Clearly, they could bring some competition in the quarterback room, and they also have some tough decisions to make regarding a few young players like linebacker Devin White, right tackle Tristan Wirfs and safety Antoine Winfield Jr who are all scheduled to be free agents next offseason. Granted, they can pick up the Wirfs’ fifth-year option to buy some time.

The Buccaneers can offer the Raiders a first-round pick swap where they would need to come up with 625 points. However, what makes Tampa’s situation unique is they could throw in one of those three players mentioned above to get the deal done as all three would fill a need for Las Vegas.

Minnesota Vikings

Picks: 23 (1st), 87 (3rd), 119 from Detroit (4th), 158 (5th), 211 (6th)

The Vikings’ playoff game had to serve as the final example that Kirk Cousins just isn’t good enough for them to win a Super Bowl. Plus, Cousins’ contract expires at the end of this year so finding a the quarterback of the future should be one of Minnesota’s goals during the draft.

Granted, they don’t have a ton of draft capital this year to work with, but they do have enough to get a trade done and it’s not like they have a ton of holes on the roster that they need to fill. The Vikings could offer the Raiders picks 23 and 87 in this year’s draft and a Day 2 pick in next year’s, or throw in a player like safety Camryn Bynum or pass-rusher Za’Darius Smith.

Lewis Cine, a safety from Georgia, was their first-round pick a year ago but missed the majority of last season with an injury, so he could take over for Bynum. As for Smith, Minnesota added another edge rusher this offseason in Marcus Davenport and they would save over $12 million in cap space by trading Smith.

Baltimore Ravens

Picks: 22 (1st), 86 (3rd), 124 (4th), 157 (5th), 199 (6th)

The Lamar Jackson saga has become one of the most drawn-out and exhausting storylines of the offseason and, at the time of writing, it doesn’t seem like it will end anytime soon. It’s gotten to the point where a handful of mock drafts have the Ravens trading up to go get a quarterback and the Raiders could certainly entertain their offer.

From a draft capital perspective though, Baltimore is in a similar spot as Minnesota where they don’t have enough picks this year to get a deal done and would need to include future picks or a player. If they’d be willing to part ways with a young pass-rusher like Odafe Oweh or David Ojabo, or an offensive guy like right tackle Daniel Faalele or tight end Isaiah Likely, that could pique the Raiders’ interests.

Houston Texans

Picks: 2 (1st), 12 from Cleveland (1st), 33 (2nd), 65 (3rd), 73 from Cleveland (3rd), 104 (4th), 161 from Dallas (5th), 188 from New Orleans (6th), 201 from Minnesota (6th), 203 from NYG (6th), 230 from NYJ (7th), 259 (7th)

This scenario could get interesting as the rumor that the Texans might pass on a quarterback with the second overall pick—or trade out of it entirely—has picked up steam this week. Also, at the beginning of April, NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein—who hosts a radio show in Houston—dropped a mock draft where the Texans took edge defender Tyree Wilson second overall and then traded with the Raiders to select Levis.

Since Las Vegas and Houston are tied for the most picks in the draft this year, there’s a handful of swaps that the two sides could work out. One that makes a ton of sense would be the Texans sending over picks 12 and 65 in exchange for No. 7. The Raiders would net 12 points in that trade while only moving back five spots in the first round and picking up an extra third-rounder. Meanwhile, the Texans would still have two first-round picks, both being within the Top 10 and 11 selections in total.