The Las Vegas Raiders had a quiet trade deadline, which is okay for a team that is not competing this year but has several promising pieces for the future. Jakobi Meyers was the lone player shipped out of town, but he is far from the only player impacted.
We already went over the winners and losers from that specific deal, but with the trade deadline now passed, let's take a look at all of the winners and losers from the totality of the Raiders' decisions, from who they traded, who they didn't, and what it all means.
Raiders' winners and losers from the trade deadline
Winners
1. Tight end room
With Meyers now out of town, the duo of Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer figures to see an increased workload. The Raiders played through them a lot in Week 9, which was the team's best performance of the year, so the good times may keep rolling for this group.
2. Jakobi Meyers
Meyers is a winner because he got his wish, but also because he now has a chance to make the playoffs this year and strike a long-term extension. He wasn't going to get either of those things in Las Vegas.
3. Wide receiver room
Plenty of opportunities opened up for the remainder of the Raiders' wide receiver room after Meyers was traded. Fans hope that rookies Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr. step up alongside Tre Tucker, but even veterans like Tyler Lockett and Alex Bachman could become more of a factor.
4. John Spytek
Spytek's desire to build through the draft won out at the deadline, as the Raiders did not give up any picks, and they acquired two. If his philosophy continues to win out over Pete Carroll's insistence on winning now, then the future is bright in Las Vegas.
5. Youth in Las Vegas
Names like Jackson Powers-Johnson, Michael Mayer, Eric Stokes, Tyree Wilson and Malcolm Koonce all came up as trade candidates, but they were all still Raiders at the end of the day on Tuesday. These are valuable pieces of Las Vegas' future, and they get to stay put instead of restarting elsewhere.
Losers
1. Pete Carroll
Carroll has signaled all season that he is all-in on this year, but as mentioned, Spytek's trading of Meyers didn't exactly align with this. If things continue to go poorly for the Raiders, and Spytek's philosophy is being abided by, it'll be Carroll on the chopping block, not Spytek.
2. Geno Smith
Smith lost a valuable offensive weapon on Tuesday. Outside of Tucker, he has inexperienced rookies or veteran players with not much in the tank at wide receiver. Plus, with Las Vegas seemingly eyeing the future, it's only a matter of time before the Raiders draft Smith's replacement.
3. Chip Kelly
For the same reason that Smith is a loser, Kelly is a loser at the trade deadline. Essentially, in the last week, he had Meyers swapped out for Lockett. He'll need the Raiders' young wideouts to grow up in a hurry; otherwise, the offensive product might not look great, and fans will point the finger at him.