Shocking Trade Ideas Raiders Should Pursue Before 2024 Season

The Las Vegas Raiders are under new management in 2024. With Tom Telesco taking the reins from the brief Dave Ziegler regime, he's already been busy reshaping the roster to his vision along with head coach Antonio Pierce.

The Raiders brought in eight external free agents, including Christian Wilkins. The disruptive interior defensive lineman should provide an immediate impact while fellow free agent addition Gardner Minshew II will compete with Aidan O'Connell to be the starting quarterback.

The one thing we haven't seen yet from Telesco is a big trade.

He didn't make a whole lot of deals as the general manager of the Chargers, but he was in charge when they traded for Khalil Mack in 2022 so it's best not to rule anything out.

Expectations are high in Vegas. After going 5-4 down the stretch with Antonio Pierce as interim head coach, there is hope that they will build on that momentum in 2024.

With few opportunities to improve the roster from this point to the beginning of training camp, it's a good time to get hypothetical and think about some trades that might be off the beaten path.

Here's a look at three suggestions that could improve either the short- or long-term outlook for the Raiders.

Add Greg Newsome II to the Secondary

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Greg Newsome II

The cornerback room has been a lingering question for the Raiders over the past few seasons. Last year, they brought in a number of free agents to try and find a solution.

Their best answer actually came in the mid-season addition of Jack Jones. He was a waiver wire add after being cut by the New England Patriots. He ended starting for the Raiders and giving up a passer rating of just 63.0 with two interceptions.

Now he's penciled in as one of the team's starters.

Jakorian Bennett and Brandon Facyson headline a group that will also include rookie Decamerion Richardson that should compete for the spot opposite of him.

Those are all intriguing options. However, Greg Newsome II would be an even better one. The former first-round pick has given up a passer rating of 85.6 or lower in all three of his seasons with the Cleveland Browns.

The Browns are the rare team that has enough depth to actually trade a cornerback. Newsome has inside-out versatility and the Browns have taken advantage by playing him at the slot when both Denzel Ward and Martin Emerson are healthy.

Newsome could team up with Jones to create a strong duo on the outside.

Playing in a division with Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert, it's a move that could serve them well as they look to develop other options at the position.

Stock Up on Pass Rush with Matt Judon

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Matt Judon

The Raiders are attempting to be competitve while starting either Gardner Minshew II or Aidan O'Connell in the ultra-talented AFC.

The best way to do that is for them to be ridiculously good on defense which means getting after the quarterback. If the Raiders are going to reach their ceiling in 2024 it's going to be because of how much pressure they can get on quarterbacks.

A lot of pieces are in place for them to do that. Maxx Crosby was one of the league's most productive pass rushers last season. Christian Wilkins gives them a presence on the interior they just haven't had, Malcolm Koonce went on a tear at the end of the season.

Tyree Wilson coming along in his second year would give them another defensive lineman to move around and utilize.

That being said, a one-year flier on Matt Judon would give them one of the deepest pass rushes in the game. There's risk. He's going into his age-32 season after playing just four games in 2023 before a bicep tear ended his year.

But when he's been on the field he's been highly productive. He had 28 combined sacks in 2021 and 2022.

He also has just one year on his contract remaining and the Patriots are in rebuild mode under new head coach Jerod Mayo. Giving executive VP of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf a call to see if he would part with his aging pass rusher could help the Raiders get the most out of 2024.

Trade Away Davante Adams

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Davante Adams

Davante Adams has been a speculative trade candidate for a while. It might be old hat at this point, but the case for moving the 31-year-old receiver still stands.

Adams' efficiency dipped in 2023. With Jimmy Garoppolo and Aidan O'Connell throwing him the ball he went from averaging 8.4 yards per target to 6.5. It was his lowest figure since his second season in the league in 2015.

Part of that might be from aging, but another part was the drop in quarterback play.

Overall, the Raiders are a young team who should be playing the long game. Being competitive down the stretch was big, but the Raiders aren't going to compete with the AFC elite in the postseason until they have a better answer at quarterback.

How effective will Adams be when that time comes?

The most likely way to find that quarterback is going to be in the 2025 draft. The Raiders will have another shot at drafting a first-round prospect. If they learned anything from this year's draft, that might require a trade up.

Trading up requires ammunition and dealing their star wide receiver would give them additional firepower to move up the board in 2025.

Being open to trading Adams makes a lot of sense from a cap perspective. He accounts for a reasonable $25.4 million cap hit this season, but his 2025 and 2026 numbers are $44.1 million.

Trading Adams away now would free up $17.5 million this season and additional money on the 2025 and 2026 cap.