Make California Post a Preferred Source Nine games into the season, the Raiders know enough about themselves to make a few decisions. The trick for general manager John Spytek is being as honest about the five losses as he is about the four wins.
That distinction should guide the Raiders’ approach to Tuesday’s trade deadline, especially if somebody calls about Kirk Cousins or Maxx Crosby.
At 4-5, the Raiders still have a say in the playoff race. They’ve beaten the teams they should beat, which qualifies as progress for a franchise that spent years circling winnable games on the schedule and explaining on Monday how it lost them.
And the Chiefs and Bills? Each got out of Las Vegas with a three-point win. There’s something to be said for making a couple of heavyweights sweat, too.
There’s also the matter of what happened when the Patriots and Rams got their hands on the Raiders. Both teams pushed them around. The 49ers found much the same team waiting for them Sunday at Levi’s Stadium. The Raiders couldn’t run the ball. They couldn’t stop the run. Five turnovers accounted for what amounted to a 31-point swing. Kyle Shanahan hardly needed the assistance.
So, sure, the Raiders have every reason to chase a playoff spot. And the players have every right to look at 4-5 and see eight Sundays to do something about it.
If a contender puts an offer on his desk Tuesday that could make the Raiders better for the next three years, what have these Raiders shown him in nine games to justify turning it down? A playoff spot is still within reach. The question is how much of their future they can afford to leave on the table chasing it.
That brings us to Cousins, who has held up his end of the bargain. He gave Klint Kubiak a steady hand while Fernando Mendoza learned the offense. He also played well enough to remind a few teams what a competent NFL starter looks like. One of them ought to recognize him on sight.
Minnesota makes the most sense. Cousins spent six seasons with the Vikings, the last two playing for Kevin O’Connell. The value of that history goes well beyond a warm welcome. O’Connell could hand Cousins a call sheet Wednesday with a pretty good idea of what he’d trust him to run on Sunday. Try finding that kind of familiarity on the trade market in November.
Philadelphia also makes sense if the Eagles want an experienced option for the stretch run. Although, after their seventh straight defeat, the Eagles may look to boot on the season entirely.
A fair mid-round pick should get Spytek’s attention. The other part of the return is eight games for Mendoza.
Beyond what Las Vegas might get in return, there is a supplemental benefit to trading Cousins.
Kubiak gets to see what the first overall pick does the second time a defense blitzes him, particularly if it fooled him the first time. By January, the Raiders would know considerably more about what their young quarterback needs from them. That knowledge has value the moment Spytek starts spending picks and money next spring.
Crosby is a tougher call, though. Cousins’ successor already has a locker. Trade Crosby and Spytek could spend the next three drafts trying to find someone who can set the edge on first down, command a second blocker on third down and still want to be a Raider after all the Sundays he’s spent chasing quarterbacks in losing causes.
Fortunately for Spytek, Tennessee has already done some of the negotiating. Chicago gave the Titans first-round picks in 2027 and 2028 plus a 2027 fourth-rounder for defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and a 2028 fifth. Any general manager calling about Crosby should have a good look at that receipt before picking up the phone.
San Francisco makes sense. Put Crosby opposite Nick Bosa and let the offensive coordinator on the other sideline decide which tackle gets help.
Detroit could pose the same problem by pairing Crosby with Aidan Hutchinson. For either team, the appeal is being able to rush four and leave seven in coverage against the quarterbacks it expects to see in January.
Two first-round picks should get Spytek to stay on the line. Where those picks might land should determine for how long. If the 49ers are picking near the bottom of the round, how much of that return will Spytek have to spend just to replace the player he sent them? A Crosby deal has to give the Raiders a realistic shot at fixing several problems, considering it creates a sizable one the minute he leaves.
