Oakland Raiders Trade Deadline Ideas

Will Reggie McKenzie and the Oakland Raiders make a move at the trade deadline? Here are a few of the ideas that have been thrown around.

The NFL’s trade deadline is November 1st at 4:30pm EST. It’s probably the most anti-climatic trade deadline in major sports, but hey, you never know.

Let’s take a look at some of the ideas thrown around for the Raiders, and whether or not McKenzie would consider any of them.

We’ll start with the most popular trade scenario being discussed amongst the fan base:

Carolina Panthers DT Kawann Short for a 1st Round Pick.

This is an idea first suggested by Greg Bedard of Sports Illustrated. As Bedard explained:

"“The Raiders are soft in the middle, which has led to star OLB Khalil Mack getting doubled teamed and so his sack numbers are down. To put it simply, the Raiders are in need of a big force in the middle of their lineup.” Bedard added, “Oakland GM Reggie McKenzie shouldn’t blink at sending a first-round pick. Short is worth the pick. The Raiders have plenty of cap room to sign him to an extension and he’ll be in the middle of that defense for years to come.”"

While almost all of that is agreeable — the Raiders are in desperate need of an defensive presence on the interior of the line and Short is one of the best in the business, a first round pick is too steep.

Short is just 27 years old (he’ll be 28 in February) but he is a free agent at the end of the season. Oakland has cap space, but they also have to plan for contract extensions of Derek Carr, Khalil Mack, Gabe Jackson and Amari Cooper over the next few seasons.

And while 27 is still young, even if Short can be productive for the next four seasons, that first-round pick will still have a fifth-year team option. And with McKenzie’s ability to draft superstar talent in the first round, I like his chances to again strike gold with his first round pick, even if it is in the late 20’s.

Conclusion: Pass.