Raiders Rumors: Latest Buzz on Dion Jordan, Tom Brady Pursuit, NFL Draft Trades

As the NFL free-agency period has mostly ground to a halt in terms of notable transactions, much of the league has now shifted its focus forward a month to the NFL draft. 

A lot of uncertainty remains around what the pre-draft process will look like amid the coronavirus pandemic and the NFL subsequently shutting down all pre-draft workouts and visits. 

Teams will almost certainly have to base their selections on game film, remote virtual interviews and performances at the NFL combine. How that will affect who teams take remains up in the air, but according to Bleacher Report's Matt Miller, executives around the league have expectations for two teams who could shake up the draft with trades.

Among those teams? The Las Vegas Raiders.

Miller says a handful of NFL insiders have expressed that they think Gruden—known by many as a quarterback whisperer and the former host of Gruden's QB Camp on ESPN—won't be able to resist moving up to take a quarterback. 

"I would say it's unlikely, but you can't ever rule anything out when it comes to Jon," one longtime scout who has worked with Gruden before told Miller. "He loves quarterbacks and thinks he can get the best out of all of them. Would it surprise me if he fell in love with Jordan Love or Justin Herbert and made a move to get them? Not one bit."

Las Vegas, which owns both the No. 12 and 19 picks in the first round, recently signed ex-Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota to a two-year, $17.6 million deal to back up Derek Carr. A Pro Bowler in 2015, 2016 and 2017, Carr has thrown for more than 4,000 yards and completed over 68 percent of his passes the last two seasons. However, the Raiders are 11-21 in that time, and Gruden seems intent on bringing in players—whether a veteran like Mariota or otherwise—to compete. 

According to The Athletic's Vic Tafur, Las Vegas has serious interest in Heisman runner-up Jalen Hurts in the draft, though he's likely a Day 2 pick and not someone the team would need to trade up in the first round to get. 

Jordan Unlikely To Return

In a recent mailbag, Tafur was asked whether he'd expect to see Dion Jordan, who played seven games and recorded two sacks last season, to be re-signed. However, Tafur wrote that new defensive line coach Rod Marinelli wanted (and got) defensive end Carl Nassib and tackles Maliek Collins and Daniel Ross, leaving little money to re-sign Jordan, who was drafted third overall by Miami in 2013 but has never recorded more than four sacks in a single season. 

Raiders Reported To Have Had Interest in Brady 

Newly minted Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady—now isn't that a strange thing to say—might not have had all the suitors you'd expect of the greatest signal-caller in league history, but there were a handful that were, including the Raiders. 

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, at least eight teams were interested in Brady. However, the Las Vegas "believes it's not far away" and wasn't willing to pay the $25 million per year Brady was asking when it already has Carr. As said above, Carr's presence doesn't preclude Las Vegas from looking around at quarterbacks, but it's likely to be a rookie that Gruden sees as a face of the franchise for the foreseeable future. 

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