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Trades the Las Vegas Raiders should have made at the 2022 trade deadline

By Jason Willis

HENDERSON, NEVADA - JULY 27: General manager Dave Ziegler (L) and owner and managing general partner Mark Davis of the Las Vegas Raiders look on during the team's first fully padded practice during training camp at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on July 27, 2022 in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
HENDERSON, NEVADA - JULY 27: General manager Dave Ziegler (L) and owner and managing general partner Mark Davis of the Las Vegas Raiders look on during the team's first fully padded practice during training camp at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on July 27, 2022 in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – OCTOBER 30: Josh Jacobs #28 of the Las Vegas Raiders runs with the ball during the first quarter of a game against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome on October 30, 2022, in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – OCTOBER 30: Josh Jacobs #28 of the Las Vegas Raiders runs with the ball during the first quarter of a game against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome on October 30, 2022, in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

Trades the Las Vegas Raiders should have made at the 2022 trade deadline

player. 28. . . . Josh Jacobs.

While this move likely would have shocked members of Raider Nation, it is one that Vegas should have made. Currently enjoying the best season of his career, Josh Jacobs is arguably the league’s best running back so far in 2022. With 676 yards on the ground to go along with six touchdowns, he is certainly one of the most productive.

Even still, the Raiders are not likely to extend him following this season. Despite meeting every expectation he had when drafted in the first round, it is just bad business to extend a running back in the NFL. The shelf life is just too short and, eventually, the injuries begin to pile up. In addition, Las Vegas already has an immense amount of money invested in its offense.

Furthermore, the much-maligned Raiders defense is still very much an issue. With Jacobs most likely anticipating a contract that makes him one of the highest paid at his position, that money could be better used on the other side of the ball.

As such, it would have behooved Las Vegas to see what he would fetch on the open market. With teams such as Buffalo and Miami both trading for running backs on the day of the deadline, Jacobs almost certainly would have fetched some draft capital from a team that’s looking to win a championship this season.

Unfortunately, the Raiders are not one of those teams. With eyes firmly on next season, the team should have moved one of their most productive players, regardless of the fan reaction. His value simply does not outweigh the potential draft capital they could have received.

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